By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – Miller Park Zoo’s pair of North American River Otters, Tallulah and Ozzie, are the proud parents of two female pups born at the facility recently.
The zoo plans to auction the opportunity to name the pups at Zoo Do, its annual fundraising event in September.
The otter pups can be seen with their mother via a video monitor in the Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital room. The pups are anticipated to go on exhibit sometime in April, once they develop further and learn to swim.
The birth of these otter pups is the third out of the last four years for Miller Park Zoo to have pups and a rarity in general. North American River Otters rarely reproduce in zoos and aquariums, only twelve pups have been born this year total across 110 institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. A typical litter is three pups but can be anywhere from one to five.
This is the third litter for both Tallulah and Ozzie.
“We’re very excited to announce the birth of these otter pups,” explained Jay Tetzloff, Miller Park Zoo Director. “We’re all looking forward to watching them grow up.”
A new river otter exhibit is in Phase I of the Zoo’s master plan. The Miller Park Zoological Society is currently fundraising for implementation of the plan.
