An otter-ly adorable pair have moved in

30 July 2023

Come visit our brand-new furry friends this summer – guaranteed to get the “awwww” factor.

With a brand new holt, complete with living roof, we are delighted to see our brand new otters - Sam and Tilly, in their new home.

Sam and Tilly are Asian small-clawed otters. They arrived from New Forest Wildlife Park Thursday 27 July and were first released into their enclosure Saturday 29 July. Tilly is 8 and Sam is 7 years old, they are both settling in really well and are taking everything in their stride.

They love the pool and you can spot them underwater from air bubbles escaping from their waterproof coats. They have been busy nest building – they have already started collecting natural material from their outdoor area – including buddleia - making their nest look very pretty!

You can tell them apart from their whiskers – Tilly’s are much longer than Sam’s. She is also darker and slightly larger and is definitely the more dominant and confident of the pair.

Otter talks will be reintroduced soon, for now the team are focusing on feeding them in their indoor house so they can monitor their intake, behaviour and generally get to know them and for Sam and Tilly to get to know the team.

Did You Know…..?

The Asian small-clawed otter is the tiniest otter species from Asia. They have dark brown fur on top and lighter fur below with cute markings on their face and throat. Otters are super social and smart – they talk to each other using more than twelve different sounds and smells.

When they search for food, they use their paws to catch crabs, fish, and more. In their new home at Slimbridge, they'll be fed yummy meat and fish multiple times a day, keeping our team very busy!

In the wild, you can find these otters in different places in Asia, like southern India, southern China, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They love hanging out in rivers, marshes, rice paddies, and mangroves.

These family-oriented otters are great parents and have two litters of pups each year.

But sadly, they're facing challenges and are considered vulnerable. Their homes are getting lost due to human activities and pollution, so we need to protect them.

We're excited to help their conservation – so do come and see them today or head along to a daily talk at 11.30am or 3pm.