After a stay in the veterinary hospital for over eight months, a pair of otters is now chilling in their new home — a refurbished enclosure at Vandalur zoo.
The otters were rescued from Hogenakkal in December last year, and brought to the zoo for rehabilitation.
Though officials claim the pair was rescued from Hogenakkal, naturalists charged the puppies were deliberately weaned away from their mother, caught and brought to the zoo.
K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, additional principal chief conservator of forests, and zoo director, said the pups were rescued when they had strayed near human habitations last year. At the veterinary hospital in the zoo, the pups were provided special care and were given imported milk powder to improve their health. For this, the zoo had spent nearly Rs. 10,000 per month, he said.
“Already the zoo has an otter, an old one. An enclosure was refurbished for the new pair. They are now very playful and they reportedly catch fish with agility, an indication they have settled in. They eat fish with their forelegs. This is a sight to behold,” he said.
Otters are aquatic mammals and predators in the river. The presence of otters in a water body indicates that the water in the river is pollution-free and is a well-protected environment for healthy aquatic life. Fish, crabs, oysters, lobsters, prawns and snakes are the main feed for the otters.
