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NC Zoo otter pup takes first swim
A reluctant otter pup at the North Carolina Zoo was nudged into the water for the first time by his mom, and zoo staffers caught the adorable dunk on video.
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ASHEBORO, N.C. — There’s a first time for everything.
A reluctant otter pup at the North Carolina Zoo was nudged into the water for the first time by his mom, and zoo staffers caught the adorable dunk on video.
The female pup, who hasn’t been named yet, is the first otter born at the zoo in its 40-year history. Keepers spent five years trying to get the zoo’s two otters to mate before nearly giving up.
With the help of Helen Bateman, a researcher who specializes with otters at the Cincinnati Zoo, keepers changed the method and timing to let the otters interact during breeding season.
The pup, born Jan. 15, is on display, although it is still dependent on its mother and spends most of its time inside the den.
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