Success for new otter enrichment tools
When it comes to mental wellbeing, it’s not just us humans who benefit from a bit of mindfulness every now and then.
Our Asian short-clawed otter family – Musa, Mimi and their son Buster – are carefully monitored by our team to ensure that their brains are as well looked after as their bodies, with new forms of enrichment regularly introduced to keep them stimulated and happy.
Alex Richings, collections and horticulture keeper, said: “Animal enrichment is an essential part of our otters’ routine, as it encourages natural behaviours and helps to improve and maintain their physical and mental health.
“Recently, we’ve introduced mealworms to their diets as part of their crate training routine, whereby we encourage them to calmly enter a carrying crate using the worms as an incentive.
“This means we are then able to safely take them off site for veterinary treatment, for example, with as little stress as possible.
“Buster is a little bit nervous to go near them for the time being, but Mimi and Musa definitely like to play with them.
“In fact, Musa enjoys them so much that he’ll actually stay inside the crate to pick them out through the bars on the floor!”
As well as introducing new tasty treats, the team has been working on developing additional ways to entertain the beloved mustelids.
During the recent heatwave, they were given ice blocks to play with – or rather, destroy! – and a newly created firehose cube is currently being put through its paces.
A well-known enrichment tool in the zoological world, the cube is made from recycled firehose material and features a series of pockets, which are stuffed with a favourite snack or toy for the otters to find.
Alex added: “We’ve also been placing mealworms inside the new firehose cube, which has had a positive response so far.
“Musa was the most interested initially but all three otters have now been observed playing with it. We can’t wait to introduce even more new elements to see how they react.”
See our Asian short-clawed otters and learn more fascinating facts about them during twice-daily otter feeds at 11.30am and 2.30pm.
Ready to visit?
If you've been inspired to explore Washington Wetland Centre this autumn and see the otter enrichment tools in action, find out more and plan your visit online.
