Jersey Zoo have welcomed two new arrivals this week; giant otters Alexandra and Fia.
Giant otters Alexandra and Fia, mother and daughter, have arrived from Yorkshire Wildlife Park to Jersey Zoo.
Alexandra and Fia have already settled into their new home at the zoo’s South American House, which is shared with giant anteater Zena.
Guests to the zoo will find it hard to miss them as they are very chatty, sociable animals and enjoy splashing around in the water.
Arriving yesterday they have already settled into their new enclosure. When they are not busy swimming in their lake, they can definitely be heard!
Classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, giant otters are under threat from habitat loss due to logging and damming of rivers for electricity, a lack of prey due to overfishing and water pollution from mining and farming.
They are also hunted illegally for their fur and meat.
Talking about their arrival at the zoo, Ben Matthews, Curator of Mammals says:
“It’s always exciting when we get a new species at the zoo, especially when it’s an animal as charismatic as a giant otter.
"The team at the zoo over the past few months have been working hard to adapt their enclosure ahead of their arrival and it’s great to see how quickly they have both settled in."
To mark their arrival, the zoo is hosting a Giant Otter Celebration Weekend on 9 and 10 August. During the weekend, there will be additional talks and feeds from the keepers and a chance to meet the pair!
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