By Rachael Risby Raz | International Relations Manager
As we reported last quarter, the breeding project is being put under the microscope in order to try and see why we are not seeing any cute baby otters.
Last month, the three otters were brought to the clinic and underwent a complete medical workup. To the Chief Veterinarian's surprise, it was discovered that the male otter had a kind of "natural condom" which seems to be a really understandable reason why the breeding is not so successful!
The vet has been in contact with overseas experts and apparently this is quite a surprising situation – they have even suggested she prepare a journal article on the discovery.
In addition to this, the keepers are doing a thorough review of all the old video surveillance to try and see if there are any behavioral problems that they may have missed in the past. We plan to purchase an additional camera for the exhibit to help with this monitoring.
So, that's the news. Obviously I would love to have updated you with news of a birth – hopefully in the near future.
Have a Safe Summer!
Rachael and the Zoo Team
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