Otterly lovely – pups born at the zoo

Six Asian small clawed otters have been born at Edinburgh Zoo to parents Barry and Luna.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said the pups were born on 23 May 2023. Recently they were given a health check by vets who confirmed five are male and one is female. All of the baby otters are said to be doing well.

Alison MacLean, carnivore team leader at Edinburgh Zoo said, “We are delighted to welcome our newest additions, who are already proving to be very feisty. Barry and Luna arrived at the zoo in 2020 and have previously shown themselves to be very attentive parents. They can often be seen swimming and diving with their older pups in the stream in their enclosure. 

“With the addition of the new arrivals, we now have 14 Asian small-clawed otters here at the zoo. The species live in family groups consisting of a mum and dad then their older offspring who help to raise the younger ones.” 

At just nine weeks old, the pups are still dependent on the mother otter and are spending most of their time in their underground holts. Visitors might be able to see them exploring their enclosure and learning more about their surroundings in the coming weeks.