The four 8-week-old North American river otter pups at Woodland Park Zoo are now ready to meet their public. Born to Valkyrie and Ziggy, both five-years-old, the pups – two females and two males – are the first river otter births documented in the Zoo’s 119-year-history.
The otter pups, who now weigh between 4 and 5 pounds each, have advanced to swimming in and exploring their public outdoor habitat. Swimming doesn’t come naturally to otter pups, and the moms – in this case, Valkyrie – must give them lessons. The first of these lessons involve mom grabbing the pups by the scruff of their necks and dunking them in and out of the water.
Even with the otter pups getting used to the public habitat, over the next few weeks a regular viewing schedule may be unpredictable as the pups acclimate to the setting. The river otters live in the award-winning Northern Trail habitat, with grizzlies, elk, gray wolves, mountain goats, and Steller’s sea eagles.
Find out more about the otter pups, and their parents, on the Woodland Park Zoo blog (click here,) or by stopping by to see them right now at the Zoo!