As spring sets in, the Miller Park Zoo community will be able to see more animals on display with a few new addictions to the collection, including two new otter pups.
The pair of North American River Otters, Tallulah and Ozzie had their fourth litter born at the facility in February. Normally, North American River Otters rarely reproduce in zoos and aquariums, with only four litters being born this year at more than 100 facilities.
“We are lucky that Tallulah has been so fertile and she’s been such an outstanding mom to all of her pups,” General Curator Peter Burvenich said.
The pups will make their first appearance within the exhibit Friday, where the mother will teach them how to swim.
“For the first three or four days that they get into the exhibit, she will literally grab them and throw them in the water because that’s her way of teaching them how to swim,” Burvenich said. “Then she’ll watch them, if she sees that they’re struggling she’ll go in and grab them to take them out.”
The otter pups, when they are first born, are held in the back of the facility, where the zoo staff checks on their weight and measurements daily, making sure they are growing as a baby otter would in the wild. During this time period, there is also a lot of hands on action from the staff as they give the pups their proper vaccinations for rabies, west Nile and more.
“We want to make sure the pups are as healthy as possible and are eating solid foods before they are put into the exhibit,” Burvenich said. “In the past, Tallulah usually creates a nook or crevice for the pups to be stored in once they’re out in the actual exhibit and we want them not to be somewhat independent once that happens.”
Normally pups will open their eyes at about 7 weeks, but the two new male otter pups have been late developers.
“They didn’t open their eyes until they were closer to ten weeks old, however, as far as their size goes, their massive,” Burvenich said. “Definitely some of the biggest otter babies I’ve ever seen.”
Otter pups normally double in size almost every week for the first two months. The two males can currently be seen on a video monitor in the zoo’s Veterinary Hospital room, located alongside the seal exhibit.
“The thing with otters is shortly after they open their eyes, we can’t pick them up anymore,” Burvenich said. “One day you can hold them and they’re not a problem and then one day they just flip a switch, teeth bared and all.”
The opportunity to name the pups will be auctioned off at the annual fundraiser, the Zoo Do, this September.
This is the last of Ozzie and Tallulah’s offspring’s, as Ozzie passed away last year, however, the zoo is bringing in a new male otter for Tallulah from Dayton, Ohio.
“We’ll probably let him out for a couple of days and put her in the back so he can get his little corner set up or wherever he wants to be and then eventually we’ll open the doors and see what happens,” Burvenich said. “Normally it’s ten minutes of terror and then they get used to each other. It’s her territory after all.”
North American River Otters breed from 2 to 10 years old and Tallulah is 7 or 8, meaning she will probably have a few more good years of breeding.
“By then, we’ll have to see where the United States population is at and then it’s up to the Species Survival Plan Coordinators to decide on whether or not they want our facility to keep breeding these otters,” Burvenich said.
The last two otter pups were shipped just recently, one to Milwaukee Zoo and another to Capron Park Zoo in Massachusetts.
A new river otter exhibit is within the zoo’s five year master plan.
“The current exhibit is from the 1970’s and it shows its age, the old concrete style is not done anymore because it’s not aesthetically pleasing,” Burvenich said. “We’ll be adding pool with under-water viewing for both the seals and the otters, as well as a multi-platformed set up for the otters to have more room for activities.”
The two exhibits, by themselves, are estimated to cost 6 million, as Burvenich says when water is involved, the price triples.
The zoo also has plans to rebuild South America area, adding giant ant eaters, De Brazza’s monkey, different tortoise species and more. A new cat building with a new tiger and tapir exhibit as well as a new parking lot and concession stand area for the visitors.
“I’m really excited for what’s to come to the zoo, both with the diversity in animals and the upgrades we’re planning for the community to enjoy,” Burvenich said.
The Miller Park Zoological Society is currently fundraising to implement this plan.
Sources: http://www.videtteonline.com/news/new-season-new-pups-baby-otters-are-introduced-at-miller/article_4e1c2ecc-48b8-11e8-bf3f-1314e76ea496.html
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