Animal Diaries Archive

Otter Madness

29 February 2008

Change is occurring all through the Zoo. There are renovations, expansions and new enclosures being built here there and everywhere! For the Exotics department, there have been great changes to the team with a few brand new arrivals.

Our official department title, 'exotics', now seems a lot more fitting after the Zoo's notorious pair of otter siblings, Bonnie and Maria, have come under our care!

We are all very excited to learn about looking after these cheeky girls. To help make the transition smoother for the otters and the keepers, we have also welcomed 'otter boy' Chris into the Exotics department. Chris has come from the Native Mammals department and is here to help us learn the ropes. You could say that Bonnie, Maria and Chris came as a package deal.

This may seem like a lot of change, but life for the two otters will stay pretty much the same. On the other hand, their keepers will be very busy learning and adjusting to a new daily schedule. Bonnie and Maria are sure to keep us on our toes with up to seven feeds a day! Not to mention learning the different types of fish we feed them, the wealth of information we'll be keeping and of course the new cleaning and training procedures.

For the regular zoo-goers, Bonnie and Maria haven't physically moved... they're still in their beautiful enclosure near the front of the Zoo being as playful and entertaining as ever! However you may notice the difference in keepers. Feel free to come along to the demonstration and test our new-found knowledge. Otters Rule!