Yorkshire Wildlife Park celebrates birth of giant otter triplets

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has announced the birth of three endangered giant otters, and the playful trio are sure to become visitor favourites when they venture out into their reserve in a few weeks’ time.

Parents Alexandra and Orimar, who were introduced to each other on their arrival in 2019 and have been inseparable since, are doting on the pups who were born in early July.

They are part of the European breeding programme and important Ambassadors for their species.

“We’re delighted to have three new additions to the otter family and hopefully it won’t be too long before they learn to swim and we see the new arrivals playing together in their lake,” said Rick Newton, Animal Manager at the 300-acre park at Auckley, near Doncaster.

“It is lovely to have triplet otters born so they will grow up together. Although it’s too early yet to tell the sex of the new triplets, it won’t be long before we can reveal their gender and pick names.”

The triplets have a sister, Bonita, the first giant otter cub born at the park on Boxing Day 2020. The species is endangered in its native Amazonian rainforests due to deforestation, water pollution and hunting.

Thanks to visitor donations, the Wildlife Foundation, which is based at the park, has been instrumental in establishing projects to protect at-risk giant otter populations in Brazil. Conservation work has helped save giant otters from the brink of extinction in the rainforest, but the species remains under threat.

The Wildlife Foundation will be working closely with Instituto Araguaia in Brazil for the next three years on a sustained project to protect giant otters’ habitat and breeding sites.

The project will continue regular anti-poaching patrols in the giant otters’ habitat as well as create an environmental education centre that will help teach 300 underprivileged school children about conservation.

The project also helps provide essential job training to unemployed local young adults in Caseara who are at risk of engaging in fish poaching.

Wildlife Foundation Trustee Cheryl Williams said: “We are delighted to support this new three-year project to build on our successes to date.

“It is important we carry on the work to protect otters. Despite all that has been done, giant otters remain at risk. The Foundation has been able to carry out this work thanks to the generosity of visitors and let’s hope that more people are inspired to support our work when they see the delightful new cubs at Yorkshire Wildlife Park ”