Otter pups born at Auckland Zoo

Otter pups born at Auckland Zoo

30 June 2009

Auckland Zoo is celebrating the birth of two male Asian small-clawed otters – the first to be born in the Australasian region in over six years.

Five weeks old and weighing in at 398grams and 458grams – similar to baby kiwi chicks, the fluffy newborns are the offspring of first-time parents, seven-year-old mother Jana (sister of escapee otter Jin), and six-year-old father Juno.

Born at Adelaide Zoo, Juno arrived at Auckland Zoo in January 2008 and was first introduced to Jana in March 2008.

"Otters are very family orientated and once paired up they mate for life, but they are notoriously fussy about deciding on who that'll be, and want a mate of a similar age", says Auckland Zoo team leader Amy Dixon.
"It took Jana and Juno almost a year to decide they actually liked each other, but once they did, they really settled down, and as new parents they're proving to be a great little team," says Ms Dixon.

Life at present revolves around the otters' nest box, with both parents focused on ensuring the pups get what they need. Dad is very much the housekeeper – keeping the nest warm and clean with fresh hay and leaf litter, while mum nurses and feeds her pups. In a few weeks time Juno will also start bringing little pieces of meat to the pups, who will be weaned by mid-August.

The yet-to-be-named otters, who started to open their eyes around 30 days, are still very uncoordinated and are just wriggling around in the nest. By late July keepers expect them to be mobile enough for Jana and Juno to take them outside into the Newstalk ZB Rainforest, which the otters share with a family of bonnet macaques. This is when zoo visitors are likely to first spot them.

"Otters don't develop their waterproof coats until three months, so for now with their big strong heads on top of their little uncoordinated bodies and their soft furry coats, they're incredibly cute – rather like cuddly little baby bull dogs," says Ms Dixon.

Auckland Zoo has four other otters, all females, including Jana's mother Jade. Due to the new pups being male, they will be relocated to other zoos within the Australasian region at around 18 months of age.

Otter facts

Asian small-clawed otter (Amblonyx cinerea)

Conservation Status: Classified as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN (Union for Conservation of Nature). Key threats are habitat destruction – deforestation, intensive agriculture (especially for tea/coffee plantations in India), draining of peat swamp forests, and pollution.

Distribution & Habitat: India, Indonesia, Vietnam, South China, Malay Peninsula, the Philippines. Live in freshwater streams, rivers, and creeks as well as coastal regions, often near dense foliage.

Physical: Smallest of the 13 otter species. Weight range: 1 – 5kg ( 2.2 – 11 lbs)

Keepers Amy and Christine with the otter pups

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