We are thrilled to announce our new otter triplets!
The three otter pups were born to one of our females on Wednesday, March 2nd. The first pup was born overnight or early that morning, and the other two were born later in the morning. It seemed like every time we looked, there was an additional baby!
Zoo staff was prepared for this pregnancy. The hormone testing that we did in October (see the blog from that month) revealed that our otter was either pregnant or had a false pregnancy. It was fortunate that we were prepared, as she gave birth a whole week early!
Our female otter was hand-raised, so keepers were unsure whether she had enough mothering skills to take proper care of her babies. We watched as she kept her pups warm and encouraged them to nurse.
The zookeepers have to be very careful when they are checking on the pups. It is very important to keep the mother stress-free, or she could abandon the pups. For that reason, the mother and the pups will be off exhibit for now. Once she teaches the pups how to swim (a behavior that they always learn from their mother), we will consider putting them on exhibit.
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Our veterinarian was invited to examine the baby otters on their second day. All three pups appeared very healthy, and each are a wonderful weight for a newborn otter. This pup was 136 grams which is about one-third of a pound (4.8 oz). The vet and zoo staff made the decision to let the pups be mother-raised unless we see signs of neglect.
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Each pup was microchipped. The chip can be scanned and allows staff to identify each pup.
All three pups are believed to be male.
We are very excited about our new zoo animals, and we hope to post many more pictures as the pups grow and learn about their new home!
