Though this species was once threatened by hunting and habitat loss, today North American river otters thrive throughout Canada and much of the northern United States. These playful mammals are a favorite, not only in our local parks, but also at the Akron Zoo! Molly, the zoo’s female otter, has been a guest favorite for many years because of her playful and friendly personality. However, otters are also incredibly social animals, which is why we are excited to welcome a new male otter, Stratton, to our zoo!
It is believed that Stratton was born on March 15, 2013. At roughly one month old, he was rescued and adopted by the Audubon Zoo. Audubon adopted two rescued otter pups at the same time, so the pair was named “Briggs and Stratton” after the engine company. The pups were then introduced to the zoo’s other otters, a group of all males. Stratton fit in okay with his new habitat-mates, but after a few years his keepers felt that it would be beneficial for him to be paired with a female of his species. In early 2021, he came to the Akron Zoo on a breeding recommendation from the River Otter Species Survival Plan.
There are several steps when moving an animal to a new home. First, Stratton spent a few days in quarantine prior to his departure from the Audubon Zoo. This helps ensure that he is healthy enough to travel, and that he will not share any illnesses with the animals at his new home. On February 26, once his quarantine was complete, keepers helped transport Stratton to the Akron Zoo. When he arrived, Stratton moved into an outside, off-habitat area in our otter building so that he would have time to adjust to his new home. Keepers noticed that he is initially cautious about new spaces and items, but once he is comfortable, he is very playful! On March 3, he explored the public habitat for the first time. Stratton had never seen snow before, but keepers were thrilled to see that he was comfortable and ready to play and slide through the snowbanks.
As of now, Stratton and Molly are alternating their times in the habitat, because they have not yet met each other. Over the next few weeks, keepers will begin introductions, starting with “howdy intros” inside, where the two will be able to see and smell each other but not physically interact. After that, they will start direct physical intros inside, and if all goes well, they will move to longer intros outside. It is currently otter mating season, so keepers are hopeful that the introduction process will proceed smoothly. If the pair were to have pups, both Molly and Stratton would be first-time parents.
Stratton is easy to tell apart from Molly as he is much larger and has dark markings on his face around his eyes and under his nose. His favorite foods are capelin and herring, and he loves playing with boomer balls and ice blocks as enrichment. Be sure to stop by your Akron Zoo throughout the month to welcome Stratton, and to visit more than 1,000 animals from around the world! We hope to see you soon!