A trio of otter pups are the newest residents of the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, and at one month old, they have started to open their eyes and wiggle about their nest box.
The three Asian small-clawed otter pups are the first for the zoo, born to parents Elbe and Jilin, who joined the habitat in 2024 for breeding.
The zookeepers are giving the otter family uninterrupted time to bond, monitoring the pups with visual checks three times a week.
As the first litter as a pair, Jilin and Elbe are keeping busy tending to the pups. One of the keepers said that the pups are “growing like weeds.”
The introduction back to the outdoor habitat will be slow and methodical. When baby otters are born, they do not have their waterproof coat yet, so the introduction process to water will be gradual, starting at approximately nine weeks old, according to the zoo.
The otters should be acclimated and visible to the public in roughly three to four months.
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In other news, the Virginia Zoo recently welcomed a new executive director, Chris Jenkins, who started on Sept. 15. Jenkins comes to the zoo after time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and SeaWorld San Diego.
The zoo was also recently accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or AZA, for its 38th year. Of the 2,800 animal facilities licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fewer than 10 percent achieve the gold standard accreditation.
In April, a baby hippo named Poppy made its public debut at the Metro Richmond Zoo. Two giant pandas also debuted at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington in January.
For more information, visit virginiazoo.org
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Crystal Graham
