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Otter pups have been rescued from a construction site in Florida.
Three baby otters have been rescued in Florida. They were found in a den situated in a construction site in Titusville with an otter adult, but unfortunately the adult ran away when they were discovered.
This happened two weeks ago and since then they were taken under care and protection by the Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary situated in Florida. According to the executive director of the hospital, Tracy Frampton, the baby otters are healthy, but that could change in the near future. She also said that even though they are doing the best they can, they still can’t replace the work a mother could do for her babies.
Frampton urges the people to donate money to the hospital, as the cost for raising each of the otter pups is approximately $2,300. She recommends that if people find other otter pups to leave them alone, as most probably their mother is close by and will definitely return to her babies.
The pups found belong to the North American river otter species and are semiaquatic mammals that can be found on the North American continent and its coasts and waterways. When they reach adulthood, the river otters can weigh up to 30.9 lb. They are protected by a fur that is thick and water repellent. The river otter belong to the weasel family and they are as versatile on land as they are in the water. They usually live near lakes, rivers, swamps, shorelines and estuary ecosystems. Their dens have a lot of tunnel openings, and at least one of them allows the otters to exit and enter the water area. The females usually give birth in the burrows built underground and they can give birth from one to six pups at a time. The North American river otters are predators and usually they feed on the food that is most accessible to them. They mainly feed on fish, but they also eat frogs, crayfish and turtles. They rarely eat small mammals and birds.
The three baby river otters have been rescued in Florida are only five weeks old so they are still in a critical period. If they will survive, they will be moved in an enclosed area that will have a pool. The doctors expect to feed the pups with live food by the end of July or the beginning of August.
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