Aquarium News
New otter debuts at
NC Aquarium
MOVE
OVER PUNGO
and Neuse … and make room for Eno.
The new young river otter is wowing the public with his
youthful charm and the aquatic acrobatics that are the trademark of
his species. Aquarium staff rescued Eno at four weeks old in April
after his mother was killed by a car near
White
Lake. Aquarists bottle fed
him until he could trade formula for fish and other solid food. Now
he’s strong, healthy, energetic and playful. Eno has grown from 2
pounds, 5 ounces to about 10 pounds since arriving April 25, about
half of his expected adult weight.
Eno began making solo appearances in the River Otter exhibit
in late July, taking turns with the two adults. Aquarium staff hopes
to eventually exhibit them all together. The three otters are named
after North Carolina rivers. Pungo and Neuse, both male, have been together at the Aquarium since
it reopened in May 2006.
Otter kits stay with their mothers the first 10 months, so
Eno had a lot to learn. Though otters depend on water for their
existence, they spend their first few weeks in a dry den on land.
Eno apparently hadn’t begun the transition.
Aquarist Meredith Owens, who cares for all three otters at
the Aquarium, assumed the role of acclimating Eno to his natural
element, starting with a child’s wading pool.
“At first he was scared of the water,” she said. “I had to
either swim in the baby pool with him or draw my fingers through the
water in front of him.” Now, his antics in the exhibit’s
16,000-gallon pool show no hint of his initial fears.
Like many animals, otters are territorial and Pungo and Neuse might not immediately welcome a newcomer. They are
being introduced to Eno slowly behind the scenes. Meanwhile, he
spends a couple hours a day in the exhibit by himself at various
times. Replicating a typical riverbank habitat, the otter exhibit
offers plenty of room for a third. The addition of Eno will be in
keeping with nature. Wild otters generally separate themselves into
two groups – mothers with their kits or small groups of males.
The exhibit exemplifies human impacts on the species, both
negative and positive. Over-hunting the animals for their luxurious
fur, habitat destruction and pollution had nearly wiped out the
state’s otter population by the mid-1900s. Thanks to conservation
and restoration efforts, river otters once again live in all 100
North Carolina counties. Not so everywhere.
“Increasing our knowledge of this species, their habitats and
lifestyles here in North
Carolina
can help protect otter populations that are in trouble elsewhere,”
Owens said.
Like Pungo and
Neuse, Eno responds to his name or a signal for feeding
and other tasks behind the scenes. But otherwise, the otters behave
much as they would in the wild.
See “What’s New” on
the Pine Knoll Shores
section of the Web site for photos of Eno’s early days at the
Aquarium.
Autumn leaves
visitors reeling
The Aquarium will be open the usual hours, 9am-5pm, on Labor
Day, Sept. 1.
The holiday brings
a new special activities schedule, celebrating the autumn splendor
of the coast with kayak and canoe excursions, and surf and pier
fishing sessions. Behind-the-scenes tours, dining with the critters,
seafood cooking classes, children’s programs and other indoor
adventures are available all winter.
The 18th annual Surf Fishing Workshop is Oct. 17-19. A
fishing expedition to Cape Lookout
caps instruction on rods, reels, bait, finding fish, caring for the
catch and more. All these programs require fees and advance
registration. See the Web site or call for details. A variety of
other activities free with admission – dive demonstrations, live
animal presentations and animal feeding programs – continue
year-round.
Daily admission to the Aquarium is $8 for adults, $7 for ages
62 and over and $6 for ages 6-17. Children 5 and under and NC
Aquarium Society members are admitted free. Call 252-247-4003 or
visit ncaquariums.com for more information.
Read more articles in the September print edition of Island Review.
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