Otter Pups Have First Health Check at Edinburgh Zoo

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: March 31, 2021 11:00 am

An Asian small clawed otter pup born in January undergoes its first health check at Edinburgh Zoo

Photo Credit: RZSS

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have celebrated the birth of three Asian small-clawed otter pups at Edinburgh Zoo. Born on January 16th 2021 the pups, one female and two males, were given their first health check this week.

With a clean bill of health the pups are now ready to be named. Keepers have created a shortlist of three sets of names each with a different theme which the public can now vote on the zoo’s Facebook page.

An Asian small clawed otter pup born in January undergoes its first health check at Edinburgh Zoo

Photo Credit: RZSS

The themes each relate to rivers, a fitting choice for otters. The options are, Kadassa (f), Malang (m) and Han (m) which are the names of rivers in Asia OR Nadi (f), Sungai (m) and River (m) which are words that mean ‘river’ OR Eden (f), Clyde (m) and Garry (m) which are Scottish rivers.

Parents Barry and Luna arrived at the zoo last year and have been settling in well leading to them welcoming their first litter.

Andrew Laing, senior animal keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “We are delighted to welcome Barry and Luna’s first litter, who are all doing well so far.

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Andrew added, “When Barry and Luna arrived last year, they were quite shy but bonded very quickly and love blossomed. This is the first time the pair have bred and they are already adapting to their new roles as parents brilliantly.”

“At just nine weeks old, the pups are still dependent on mum and are spending most of their time in their underground holts. Lucky visitors might be able to see them exploring their enclosure and learning more about their surroundings in the coming weeks.”