Otterly adorable update
We've been keeping a close eye on our otter cubs here at WWT Washington Wetland Centre since they were born at the beginning of the month, and we're pleased to say they're going from strength to strength, from weighing an average of 140g to a whopping 318g in just 15 days - a testament to the fantastic job parents Mimi and Musa and big sister Squeak are doing.
While we are remaining as hands off as possible allowing the young family to bond and raise the little ones as they know best, it’s very important for us and the otters that we regularly check their progress, and so we go into the holt once a week to check and weigh the otter cubs.
WWT Washington’s aviculture and captive animal manager Kristian Purchase said, "We need to weigh the otters to make sure that each cub is growing well, helping us understand if there's a need to increase what we feed the otters, or change the diet for the family.
"We also look at each cub to check for any signs of illness or issues we can see. So far, we've had nothing to worry about, but we want each cub to have the very best chance to be as healthy as their big sister.
"We can also check which ones are boys or girls, but this is proving quite difficult at the moment, so we can’t be 100% sure! Mimi, Musa and Squeak are doing an amazing job, and our job is to make sure that we can help them as much as possible in raising a healthy happy litter of cubs."
The process is done in very quick succession, taking just minutes to check and weigh all 4 cubs, leaving them to get back to their holt with minimum stress.
The cubs still have their eyes shut and will remain inside until mum and dad think they are ready to go out. Going from Squeak last year this could be around the 50 day mark so keep an eye out for more updates in the coming weeks.
Visitors can hear all about their progress and what their arrival means for our team during the daily talks at 11.30am and 3pm.
Did you know?
- Otters are part of the mustelid family, which roughly translates as ‘smelly animal’.
- Asian short-clawed otters are the smallest of all 13 otter species, weighing less than 5kg.
- They are found in the mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
- Their most distinctive feature is their claws, which don’t extend beyond the fleshy end pads of their partially webbed fingers and toes – hence their name!
- Their sensitive finger pads mean they’re very dexterous and use their paws, rather than their mouths, to hunt prey including molluscs, crabs and other small aquatic animals.
- They communicate through at least 12 different calls.
- Their life span is anywhere from 11-16 years.
- The main threats to their survival are habitat destruction, pollution and direct persecution from hunting and trapping.
