Otter Swap April 1. 2011
Charlie the otter. I got to feed him!
Charlie the otter from the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA and Odin from UC Santa Cruz will trade places while Charlie helps out with a study about underwater hearing. I'll have to contact the Aquarium of the Pacific because I want to meet Odin!
From the Belmont Shore-Naples Patch: The Aquarium has announced that one of its Southern sea otters, Charlie, is going north to the Long Marine Laboratory to be a subject in a study of otters' hearing underwater. To take Charlie's place, the Long lab, which is at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is sending it's otter, Odin, to Long Beach, where he will join the others in the Aquarium's Sea Otter Habitat after a quarantine period.
Otter Cub Being Raised in the Edinburgh River March 12. 2011
The news about an otter cub in the Edinburgh River is more than cute, it's a great sign that the river is healthy as the otter population slowly rises.
From the BBC: She told the BBC Scotland news website: "Everyone in the city should be immensely proud that there is an otter and her cub living in their city, it is incredible.
"To have a large wild mammal, which had just about become extinct until the 70s, thriving in an urban river in the capital city shows the river is very healthy.
Otters Don't Make Good Pets March 11. 2011
No matter how cute and cuddly otters appear, they don't make good pets at all. This was one subject covered by Amanda Radek, a spokesperson for the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW).
From CaptivaSanibel.com: In 2010, several river otters were brought to CROW due to a variety of circumstances, including being orphaned by their mothers, attacks by other animals and distemper. Thus far this year, more than 10 otter pups have been cared for by the hospital's staff.
"It's hard work, it's stinky work, but hopefully it's very rewarding work," said Dr. Amber McNamara, director of the clinic. "We really appreciate our students here who work with them."
Click here to read the whole article at CaptivaSanibel.com
Giant Otter Pups Born At Zoo Miami March 4. 2011
This is only the second time in history that Giant River Otters have been bred in North America. Zoo Miami have managed to breed two adorable pups this January!
Aialik The Otter Recovers After Surgery March 3. 2011
Aialik the sea otter who lives at the Oregon Coast Aquarium is now recovering from extensive bladder surgery. While they don't know exactly what caused his bladder failure, they suspect the same parasite that causes EPM or equine protozoan encphalomyelopathy in horses.
From OregonLive.com: "I'm just very happy with the way it all turned out," said Judy Tuttle, curator of marine animals at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. "His appetite is great. His weight is up where we'd like it to be. He's doing better than I could have possibly hoped for."
School Time For Ollie The Otter February 24. 2011
Ollie the otter at the Aquarium of the Pacific has been busy since she arrived at the aquarium months ago. Life for the sea otters is more than just eating and sleeping.
From the Aquarium of the Pacific: To begin Ollie’s training we’ve started to use a whistle during her feeding sessions. Each time that we would give her a piece of shrimp or clam we would blow the whistle. The idea behind this is that Ollie would soon begin to associate the whistle with the food. In that way we can start using the whistle as a “bridge” to let her know that her favorite piece of clam or shrimp would soon follow the sound of the whistle. In other words the whistle is saying to Ollie “Good Job! A reward is coming!” We been using the whistle with her for the past few weeks and she is already beginning to understand what it means. Ollie is showing that she’s a good student.
Click here to read more at the Aquarium of the Pacific's website
