Prospect Park Zoo - River Otters

The North American river otters at the zoo gave birth to three pups in the middle of February, and they just started putting them on exhibit. This is a pretty big deal, because this is the first time in almost sixty years that North American river otters have been born at a zoo. I was assigned to watch them for four out of the ten hours I was there this weekend, so it was a pretty cool chance to study their behaviors.

Before putting the pups on exhibit, the keepers separated the father. They have no idea how he will react to them, and there's a chance they will eventually be moved somewhere else because of it.

The keepers also lowered the water level in the exhibit until the pool was almost empty, so that the pups can learn how to swim without the possibility of drowning. Apparently river otters are not natural swimmers, but they pick it up quick. In the wild the parents have to push the pups into the water and swim with them so that they learn, and that is exactly what Dixie (the mother) did to her pups. Well, she didn't push them in so much as lead them to the water and drag them in, but it's the same idea. Either way they are successfully learning how to swim, and the water level will be raised back to normal soon.

The keepers put dead fish at the bottom of the water to encourage natural diving behavior, and I was able to see one of the pups dive to get one of them for the first time.

Dixie also seemed to be teaching them how to dry off by rubbing themselves on the grass and dirt, and possibly how to hide in the higher grasses when there are large crowds of people around. They could have just been playing, the four of them did that a lot.

I also got to hear the peacock cry in the park's Aviary. I've never heard it before, and it's a very distinctive call, to say the least. Here's a link to one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie8TrwY1nHA&noredirect=1