Otters coming in 2012 » Living Coasts

Otters coming in 2012
02-12-2011

Living Coasts have announced today that they will be receiving a breeding pair of European / Eurasian (lutra lutra) Otters in 2012, currently held at Highland Wildlife.

Plans have been developed over the past year and the Sea Duck pool will be redeveloped in early 2012, hopefully completed for the 2012 main season. The enclosure will have both sea and fresh water pools and will be called 'Otter Rapids'.

The sea ducks will move to Penguin Beach and the oystercatchers to Waders.

02-12-2011

Where are they coming from?? I have only ever seen the European Otters once at Edinburgh Zoo... they are very hard to see...lol

02-12-2011

I imagine they will have to net over the new Otter enclosure to prevent free flying waders , terns etc. flying in and being killed .

02-12-2011

The ones being held at HWP are from Edinburgh I believe. On a recent trip it was mentioned that they were minding some from Edinburgh as the collection they are going to is not yet ready for them.

02-12-2011

That sounds great, I don't know of any other exhibits which show European otters in a marine context. Are there any?

Today's news report
02-12-2011

Zoo to welcome pair of otters | This is South Devon

02-12-2011

I hope its a worthwhile exhibit for them- Eurasian Otters are often very retiring in Zoos and don't show as well as species like Asian Short-Clawed, Canadian etc.

04-12-2011

I'm interested to know how they will convert the Sea Duck enclosure to hold fresh water as well as sea water? I've always thought it was wasted as a Sea Duck pool, especially when their plumage is dull for half a year, but recently it has become a sub-habitat of its own with Oyster Catchers and waders coming over from the estuary. Does anyone know if the pair from Scotland are shy or active during the day? Interesting thought about the possible netting to protect the birds - but there is none over the Fur Seals? I think it would 'feel' wrong and go against the unique immersion exhibit they've created. I still think the seals should eventually be replaced by two breeding pairs of Sea Otters. I know the US Marine Fisheries Dept have said no, but it makes so much sense! I also think they should display Sand Lizards (Ventnor Wall perhaps?), Lemmings, Little Auks and the Grey Gulls & Lapwings (kept at Paignton). Interesting times eh?

04-12-2011

I don't think they have much chance of getting Sea Otters if a zoo like Rotterdam,cannot get any to replace the ones they sent back to Lisbon!
As for the other all possible I feel,except I think the Grey Gulls that were actually kept in Living Coasts,but were removed before the end of the first year of the place being open!

04-12-2011

Forgive me if I'm just being dim, but why would sourcing them from Japan not be an option?

04-12-2011

Well I believe the Director of Rotterdam tried that approach and failed last year!

04-12-2011

Thanks zoogiraffe.

25-12-2011

The americans DONT want to send any sea otters anywhere, so they can be the only ones that have them, selfish really !!! I KNOW but there you go. The fur seals don't have a net as the thought it would break up the zoo, however they have never had any trouble with birds getting caught and they often fly in. There was one occasion when the keepers went in one morning and one of the bank cormorant was found surrounded by the seals, he was fine and was infact pecking them. So from now on the seals are put away every night to make sure that this doesn't happen agian. They have tried chemical warfare with frozen quail to see if a mild chemical would make the seals leave the birds alone however they just destroyed the quail and then left it . However at the moment there is no danger of the birds being eaten.
coffee pheasant

25-12-2011

Ian Robinson - you left a reply about the Marine Otter of SW S America - I have just researched it and it does seem a perfect fit for Living Coasts, especially since there are other S American species there already. Maybe they will gain experience with the Eurasian otters and then look into it? Columbus Zoo (I think) may run the studbook or oversee an in-situ breeding programme......good suggestion!

27-12-2011

They most definitely have had problem encounters between birds and seals previously and why would they feel the need to use 'chemical warfare' (or aversion training) if there was no problem there? I agree with most of the posts on here though that they are likely to keep the new otter enclosure un-netted in order to preserve the feeling of space outside and have heard some of the more recent chicks of the more vulnerable species have been pinioned (the inca terns are usually too fast and strong fliers to be at much risk) to help avoid any future problems. Personally I don't really agree with pinioning as flying is such a big part of what birds are (excluding the non-flying species obviously) but its a complex topic which im sure has its own thread somewhere on these forums.

I am a bit worried for the ducks being moved down to penguin beach too. I am a bit biased as I have always loved them with their gorgeous colours and different courtship calls but I fully appreciate they are not such a big hit with the general visitors. I also know they have had ducks with the penguins before, however penguins are large, curious and clumsy so they will probably chase them a fair bit and they will definitely make it very difficult for the ducks to breed naturally. Given some of these ducks are facing difficult times in the wild and are not that common in captivity I would rather see them go to other collections which have facilities that allow them to breed successfully, unless living coasts can come up with an area that only the ducks can access in the beach area to allow them space to breed free from penguin disruptions.

That said I really do hope the new otter enclosure works out for them. As some others on here I worry that eurasian otters are usually quite shy and may not be the show stoppers they hope for, but with some well thought out enclosure modification and a bit of luck it will hopefully work out well, and fingers crossed creates another feeding time to look out for.