On January 28 Mo was born, the first North American river otter pup to be born at Oregon Zoo. Very special to the Zoo of course, but many otter pups are born in captivity globally. Nevertheless, this pup deserves some special attention because his name is Mo, and not because this is short for Molalla the river in the State of Oregon.
River otters are very dependent on their mothers when they’re born. It’s usually three to five weeks before young otters open their eyes, and about five weeks before they first walk. Mo’s first veterinary checkup can be seen here:
Surprisingly, swimming does not come naturally to otters — pups must be taught to swim by their mom, which is no gentle business. See for yourself:
You are lucky when you can pay a visit to Oregon Zoo on a regular basis and follow the progress of Mo’s swimming skills.
Mo(os)
(Source: Oregon Zoo News, 15.03.2013, 04.04.2013)