VIDEO: Otter mom nudges baby to swim for first time
Posted on 03/21/14Asheboro, NC - A new baby otter at the North Carolina Zoo is taking its first swim.
Video posted on the zoo's Facebook page shows the mother otter nudging the baby to take a dip in the water. Watch it here: http://ow.ly/uMVP9
This is the first otter birth at the zoo in its 40 year history. The female North American river otter was born January 15.
Zoo keepers spent five years trying to get their two otters to mate. An expert from the Cincinnati Zoo provided information that helped better pinpoint the mating season.
The process worked and ten months later the female otter was born.
It is now eight weeks old, but it still doesn't have a name.
She is on exhibit at the zoo, but since she's still dependent on her mother, she spends a lot of time inside the den. Zoo visitors should see more of her by April.
