Otter antics captivate kids

PINE KNOLL SHORES - There's a sort of dance that takes place frequently in front of the river otter exhibit at the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

Kids crouch and then stand and crouch again. They bend sideways, first left and then right. And they often dash back and forth between windows.

It's all an enthusiastic effort to get the closest possible glimpse of Pungo, Neuse and now little Eno, the newest addition to the otter exhibit.

"He's so cute and playful the way he spins around in the water," said 10-year-old Elizabeth Rawls of Boone, who watched Eno roll, dive and glide through the water during one of his first appearances in the exhibit.

The 4-month-old North American river otter is making his debut before aquarium visitors after weeks of being hand-reared by an aquarium husbandry staff that stepped up to play parent after he was orphaned.

The baby otter's mother was hit and killed by a car in the White Lake area in April, and he was taken in by the North Carolina Aquariums after being contacted by a concerned citizen. The individual saw the mother otter in the road, found the baby otter in a ditch and initially contacted the aquarium at Fort Fisher. Fort Fisher then contacted Pine Knoll Shores, knowing it has a river otter exhibit.

Pine Knoll Shores Aquarist Meredith Owens estimates that they got to Eno within about eight to 10 hours after his mother was killed and looked for possible siblings but weren't able to find any.

Because it is unusual to see an otter at that age out by itself, Owens said they believe the mother may have been moving the nest at the time she was killed.

Owens has cared for Pungo and Neuse since they first arrived at the aquarium at the time of its May 2006 reopening. She helped the two adult male otters, which were a year old at the time, become acclimated to their new surroundings and life at the aquarium.

It was a learning experience, she said, but raising a baby otter has been a whole different challenge.

Otter kits typically stay with their mother until they are 10 months old, she said, which left Eno totally dependent on his caretakers.

Late-night bottle feedings and the mixing of formula became part of the routine for Owens and the other staff members who watched over Eno.

"There was around-the-clock care and feedings every four hours day and night," Owens said. "We had a lot of challenges; we had to teach Eno to be an otter."

Baby otters spend their first few weeks in their den on dry land. Eno's first dip was with Owens in 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."

Watching Eno now, it's hard to believe he was ever hesitant to take his first dip.

"He's adapted really well. He's already a great swimmer and diver," she said.

Eno has been making limited appearances in the river otter exhibit, splashing around for a few hours at a time as he adjusts to the surroundings and his admirers through the viewing windows.

But initially, his appearances are solo ones.

Owens said otters are territorial and the process of introducing Pungo and Neuse to a newcomer has been a gradual one.

In the otter holding area, a clear plastic window divides the otter. Initially they could only see each other. Holes in the plastic now allow them to sniff, smell and see each other.

Owens said Eno will be introduced face-to-face with Pungo and Neuse individually before they are all together, and that's a process they are now beginning within a controlled environment.

For the husbandry staff, it's a careful and sometimes dangerous process and each one has gone through stringent training and received rabies vaccinations. The aquarium also has the required wildlife permits.

Owens cautions against raising a baby otter or any wild animal at home.

"Though he was raised in captivity, Eno is still a wild animal with wild instincts," Owens said. "Not only can they become very aggressive very quickly, they need lots of room for running and swimming."

Owens said Eno was very skittish and scared when he first arrived and stayed mostly in his den. But when he did venture out, she was surprised to see how attached he became to her and how he began to follow her and trust her.

Still, she said, they know the animals they watch over are not pets and Owens jokes that as Eno grew, there was a quick reminder that he was no longer that baby they bottle fed.

"Otters love to play and when they do the grab onto you and nip at you. He was being playful and not trying to hurt you, but it was easy for us to say 'OK now,'" Owens said.

Eno, who was 2 pounds, five ounces when he arrived, now weighs about nine pounds. But he still has a ways to go to before he reaches his full-grown size of about 18 to 25 pounds.

Owens said the river otter exhibit is large enough to accommodate all three of the otters once they are able to share the space.

The exhibit replicates a typical riverbank and is a popular one as the otters, each bearing the name of a North Carolina river, entertain visitors with their antics.

Owens said it is also a means of educating the public about the river otter population.

Over-hunting of the animals for their fur, loss of habitat and pollution had nearly wiped out North Carolina's river otter population by the mid-1900s. Due to conservation efforts, the otters once again live in all 100 of the state's counties.

"However, other states currently have populations in jeopardy," Owens said. "Increasing our knowledge of this species, their habitats and lifestyles here in North Carolina can help protect otter populations that are in trouble elsewhere."

Raising Eno has also been a learning experience for Owens.

"You have to be 100 percent committed to it," she said.

To view a photo slideshow of Eno, visit www.ncaquariums.com and go to the "What's New" section for "Pine Knoll Shores."

Contact Carteret County reporter Jannette Pippin at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 252-808-2275. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.