Three adorable otter pups are making their debut at Prospect Park Zoo.
The three otters were born in February to Dixie, a 3-year-old female, and Oogie, a 10-year-old male. The pups are the first North American river otters born in a city zoo or aquarium since 1956 at the Bronx Zoo.
North American river otters are members of the weasel family and are found near lakes, rivers and coastal areas of Canada, Upper Great Lakes, New England, and Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions of the United States.
In the early 1900’s, otter populations dramatically declined in large portions of their historic range due to fur trapping, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
Conservation practices that have improved water quality and regulated hunting and trapping have helped to restore otter populations in many areas of the United States.
Visit the cute new members of the otter family in their exhibit on the Discovery Trail.
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