Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition I North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER (Lontra canadensis) Edited by: Janice Reed-Smith Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 2008 Originally funded by: John Ball Zoological Garden Core Gorsuch Foundation Edition nd With the support of: The AZA Small Carnivore Taxonomic Advisory Group Husbandry Notebook, 2 II North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER “Alacris ad ludos est.” “It is quick to play” (Albertus Magnus, 13th Century teacher and naturalist) North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook 3rd Edition Published January 2008 John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids, Michigan Jan Reed-Smith, Editor [email protected] Contributing authors: Kris Petrini, D.V.M.; Lucy Spelman, D.V.M.; Gwen Meyers, D.V.M., Sue Crissey, Ph.D; Chip Harshaw; Angela Carter; Mac McFeely; Maris Muzzy; Clio Smeeton; John Partridge; Sheila Sykes-Gatz; Jan Reed-Smith. III North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition In the days when the earth was new and there were no men but only animals the sun was far away in the sky. It was so far away that there was no summer. It was so far away that the trees and the grasses did not grow as they should. He-Who-Made-the-Animals saw how it was that there was not enough sun to heat the earth, and so he fashioned a snare. The Sun did not see the snare in his path, walked into the snare and the snare held him fast. The sun was close to the earth. In fact, the snare held the sun so close to the earth that there was no night. Day after day the sun shown and the earth dried and the grasses withered. There was not enough food or water for the animals and they desperately called a council. “Sun,” the animals said, “You give too much heat to the earth.” “Set me free from this snare” the Sun said, “and I will go away.” “But if you go away, then there will not be enough heat.” “Set me free,” the Sun said, “and I will come to the edge of the earth in the morning and in the evening; then at noon-time I will stand straight above the earth and warm it then.” The animals sat around the council fire and they said, “Who is going to set the sun free?” “I shall not do it,” Wildcat said. “Whoever sets the sun free must go so close to the sun that he will be burned to death.” Lynx said, “Whoever sets the sun free must chew the leather thong that holds him; the sun will burn him to death before he can do it.” “I shall not do it,” said the deer, the wolf and the raccoon. “I shall do it,” Otter said. “How can you do it?” said the animals. “You are too small, your teeth are for fish, and your fur has already burned away.” None of the other animals liked the otter because he played too much. They did not think he was brave. “Let him try,” Bear said. “He will burn to death, but we will not miss him. He is of no use to us. He looks silly now that his fur is gone.” The animals laughed. Ignoring the taunts, the otter set off to the place in the sky above the earth where the sun was held by the snare. Otter took many days to get to the sun. The sun burned him. The sun was so bright, Otter had to close his eyes. When he reached the sun, Otter began to chew on the leather thong that held the sun. His skin was burning and blistering, his eyes were hot stones. But, Otter did not stop chewing. Suddenly he chewed through the leather. The animals saw the sun rise into the sky. The animals felt the cool winds begin to blow on the earth. Otter had freed the sun from the snare. Time passed. Otter lay in the center of the council ring. There was no fur at all left on his body. His skin was burned and scorched and his flesh was falling off his bones. His teeth were only blackened stumps. He-Who-Made-the-Animals also stood in the center of the council ring. “Otter,” he said, “the animals will not forget what you have done for them. I will see that they do not forget,” and he gave Otter new strong teeth, tireless muscles, keen eyesight, and a powerful tail to help him in his hunting and in his play. He did not have to give him bravery. But he gave him new fine fur that was like down on his skin, and a second coat of fur to guard the first so that he would not get cold in water or in winter. Then he gave him joy so that he would always be happy in his otter’s life, and Otter has so remained until this day. An Otter Legend derived from the Cree Indians Contributed by John Mulvihill The River Otter Journal Vol. VIII, No. 2, Autumn 1999 IV North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition Contributors 1st Edition Aquarium of Niagara Falls, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Audubon Park Zoo, Baton Rouge Zoo, Beardsley Zoo, Blank Park Zoo, Burnet Park Zoo, Calgary Zoo, Central Florida Zoo, Central Park Wildlife Center, Columbus Zoo, Dakota Zoo, Denver Zoo, Dreher Park Zoo, Ellen Trout Zoo, Erie Zoo, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Folsom Children’s Zoo, Grassmere Wildlife Park (GR), Henry Doorly Zoo, High Desert Museum, John Ball Zoo(JBZ), Kansas City Zoo, Lee Richardson Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Little Rock Zoo(LR), Los Angeles Zoo, Lowry Park Zoo(LO), Memphis Zoo, Mesker Park Zoo, Metropolitan Toronto Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, Milwaukee Zoo, Minnesota Zoo(MIN), New England Science Center, Oakland Zoo, Oglebay Good Children’s Zoo, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Philadelphia Zoo, Racine Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo(ST), Seneca Park Zoo, Sunset Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium, Texas State Aquarium, Turtle Back Zoo, Virginia Living Museum, Walk in the Wild Zoo. Contributors 1997 Husbandry Survey Akron Zoo, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Baltimore Zoo, Bronx International Wildlife Center, Brookgreen Gardens, Brandywine Zoo, Brevard Zoo, Burnet Park Zoo, Caldwell Zoo, Calgary Zoo, Central Florida Zoological Park, Central Park Wildlife Center, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Dakota Zoo, Denver Zoological Garden, Dickerson Park Zoo, Ellen Trout Zoo, Henson Robinson Zoo, Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, John Ball Zoological Garden, Knoxville Zoological Gardens, Inc., Lee Richardson Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoological Garden, Little Rock Zoological Garden, Lowry Park Zoological Garden, Metro Toronto Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, Minnesota Zoological Garden, NEW (N. E. Wisconsin) Zoo, North Carolina Zoo, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Oakland Zoo, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Palm Beach Zoo @ Dreher Park, Riverside Zoo, Salisbury Zoological Park, Salmonier Nature Park, San Francisco Zoological Garden, Sedgwick County Zoo, Sequoia Park Zoo, St. Louis Zoological Park, Sunset Zoological Park, Texas State Aquarium, The Texas Zoo, The Zoo, Woodland Park Zoological Gardens, Wildlife Prairie Park, ZOOAMERICA, Zoo de Granby. Contributors 2nd Edition The Brevard Zoo, Calgary Zoo, Clinch Park Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Dakota Zoo, Folsom Children’s Zoo, John Ball Zoo, Knoxville Zoo, Lowry Park Zoo, Magnetic Hill Zoo, Minnesota Zoo, National Zoo, Racine Zoo, Seneca Park Zoo, South Carolina Aquarium, Stone Zoo (Zoo New England), Virginia Marine Science Museum, Colorado Ocean Journey, Shedd Aquarium, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Brookfield Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, Bristol Zoo, Baby Zoo, Banham Zoo, Basel Zoo, Drusillas Zoo Park, Eekholt Wildlife Park, Novosibirsk Zoopark, Paradise Park, Zoo de la Fleche, Craig Schultz (Disney Animal Kingdom), Kris Petrini, D.V.M., Lucy Spelman, D.V.M., Sue Crissey, Ph.D., Mike Maslanka, M.S., Chip Harshaw, Cheryl Lent, Kevin Shelton, Clio Smeeton, John Partridge, Sheila Sykes-Gatz, Merav Ben-David, Pat Foster-Turley, Angela Carter, Mac McFeely, Maris Muzzy, Joyce Peterson, Angela Gabbert. V North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition USE GUIDE INTRODUCTION As soon as the first edition of the North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook was completed additional information became available – that is the way projects of this nature all work. I have no doubt it also will be true for this edition. Thus, use this 2nd edition as a beginning point when looking for an answer to a particular otter problem or question, not as a definitive authority. Our approach to captive husbandry should be as dynamic as the animals in our care. This 3rd edition includes some additional information as well as correction of typographical errors. Since publication of the 2nd edition significant work has been done on otter reproductive physiology, contraceptive recommendations have changed, and there have been some changes made to recommended routine veterinary care. These changes as well as additional training and enrichment information have been included in this digital update of the NARO husbandry manual. Where possible, all measurements and weights have been put into the English and metric systems. This is not true for the weights tables, however. There is some duplication from one chapter to another; some information on a given topic may only appear in one location. This is inconsistent but an attempt was made to at least provide some basic information on pertinent topics where appropriate so a reader would not have to go to all of the sections. For example: there is pup development information in the Reproduction section and Hand Rearing. Many thanks go out to all of the people who have shared ideas with me over the years, too many of you to name here however, your contributions have all been helpful and have been incorporated in some way in this manual.
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