In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a fun video of Simon, an otter at SeaWorld who is very attentive to his young. He helps them swim, he encourages them, and he cuddles with them!
Watch the video below!
Tag Archives: otters
White Otter Cubs Born
The Blue Planet Aquarium in the United Kingdom was surprised by the birth of two white otter cubs. The babies are Asian short-claw otters which usually have dark brown fur. This pair is thought to have leucism, which causes the fur to grow without pigment, the substance which creates color in animals.
For more photos of all-white animals visit ABCNews.com.
Great Animal Escapes
Sometimes animals outsmart us. This year, we witnessed several bold and cunning escapes.
Otter Escapes from Kansas Zoo
Kyra, a resident of the Hutchinson Zoo in Kansas, escaped from her zoo habitat on Valentine’s day and spent the week pond-hopping. Easily catching fish in other area ponds, she was unfazed by zookeeper attempts to lure her back with fish treats. But finally, she succumbed to the temptation of a hard-boiled egg.
Octopus Escapes New Zealand Aquarium
An octopus named Sid spent 5 days on the lam after escaping from his tank in a New Zealand aquarium. Sid managed to elude detection for those days by hiding in a drain that pumped fresh sea water into the aquarium. He was caught after being spotted making a dash for an open door.
Orangutan Plans Great Escape from Adelaide Zoo
Jamming a stick into the wires of the electric fence surrounding her, Karta, a 27-year old orangutan, short-circuited the system. She then piled up debris near the concrete and glass wall and climbed out. However, after literally sitting on the fence for half an hour, she decided to go back in the enclosure after all.
Wily Prairie Dogs Escape New Exhibit at Maryland Zoo
Ten minutes after the opening of a new $500,000 prairie dog exhibit, the clever rodents found multiple escape routes. Climbing and jumping over the walls, the prairie dogs had zoo workers in a frenzy chasing after them with nets.
Chimp Escape at the Chester Zoo
Thirty chimpanzees escaped from their enclosure at the Chester Zoo in England. They made their way into a food preparation area and had the feast of their lives.
Harbor Seal Makes Trek into a Cape Cod Hatchery
Although this is less of an escape and more of a break-in, we had to include it. A young harbor seal was discovered in a state fish hatchery in the town of Sandwich in Cape Cod, where she had her pick of delicious trout to eat. What makes the story so interesting is that the seal would have had to waddle on land for 2 miles, including stretches on the boardwalk and through a tunnel under a busy highway, to make it into the hatchery.
Baby Otters at SeaWorld Orlando
Four Asian small-clawed otters were born at SeaWorld Orlando three weeks ago. Bred as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan, Asian small-clawed otters are threatened in the wild by habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution. In the wild, they live in the rivers, creeks, estuaries and coastal waters of Southeast Asia, from northern India to southeastern China, the Malay Peninsula and parts of Indonesia.
Photos: Jason Collier/SeaWorld Orlando
For more info: SeaWorld.org
Famous YouTube Otter Dies at Age 20
Nyac, the otter shown in a popular video holding hands with another otter, Milo, at the Vancouver Aquarium, passed away on September 23rd. Nyac was one of the last surviving otters rescued from the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in 1989. She died at age 20 from chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
For more information, visit the Vancouver Aquarium’s sea otter page.