Otterly exciting weekend
An otterly exciting day was had at WWT Washington Wetland Centre yesterday with first birthday celebrations for Asian short-clawed otter Ruby.
Ruby, named in celebration of the centre’s 40th anniversary last year, was born on 22 May 2015; the first cub to popular otter pair Mimi and Musa. Originally known as ‘Little Squeak’ because of the noises she made when first born, Ruby has become a popular addition to the otter enclosure, with the trio regularly seen swimming, foraging and playing together. Earlier this year, Ruby was joined by 4 younger siblings - 3 brothers and a sister, who helped make the celebration even more fun yet extremely busy.
Visitors to the centre enjoyed an afternoon of otter-face painting, party hats and an extra special otter feed where Ruby received a special rendition of happy birthday, followed by otter-friendly birthday cake made out of their favourite ingredients of mince and prawns with a crab claw for decoration. The addition of a ‘ball pool’ added extra stimulation and proved very entertaining for visitors to watch, as well as for the otters to play in.
WWT Washington’s collection manager Kristian Purchase said, “It’s been a brilliant day and everyone has enjoyed seeing the otters and wishing Ruby a happy birthday.
“She was the first cub for Mimi and Musa and it was a challenging time for everyone at the start; but the efforts of the team have certainly paid off as Ruby is a happy and healthy young otter. The addition of her brothers and sister has really brought her out of her shell and we’re extremely proud of how well she’s adapted and supported in their upbringing - she really is an essential part of the family.”
All seven otters can be seen daily at Washington Wetland Centre during feeding times at 11.30am and 3pm – here visitors can learn about what they like to eat, where they live in the wild and more about the vital conservation of the species that visitors and members are so vital in helping to support.
Ruby’s first birthday celebrations followed the 20 year anniversary of the centre’s purpose built Duckery, which first opened its doors on 21 May 1996. Since its opening, over 1600 birds have been successfully hatched and reared there, helping conserve some of the world’s rarest birds. This has included birds such as Baer’s pochard, blue-winged geese and white-headed duck, with the most memorable and challenging being 24 hand-reared Chilean flamingos, who were the stars of the show during the 2013/14 winter period.
You can see the Duckery in full swing during our popular Downy Duckling Days starting on 28 May for half term week, with daily talks and the chance to get up close to our fluffy new arrivals.
