'Adorable' rare otter pups born at Auckland Zoo

Thursday, 30 May 2019

Keepers at Auckland Zoo are celebrating the birth of three rare otters.

The zoo's carnivore team leader Lauren Booth announced the arrival of the Asian small-clawed otters on Wednesday - World Otter Day.

'Our second otter couple Kanan and Takumi have recently given birth to three adorable pups,' Booth said in a Facebook post.

'It's early days with the pups only a few weeks old and it's likely to be at least a month before we will start to see them venturing outside of their nest box and learning how to swim.'

**READ MORE:

* Auckland Zoo animals' Christmas Day treats

* Auckland Zoo meerkats move into new home, reaction caught on camera

* Auckland Zoo welcomes rare red panda twins**

Booth said the zoo was 'absolutely delighted' at the arrival of the pups.

'Asian small-clawed otters are in decline and listed as vulnerable in their wild home of South East Asia due to threats like agriculture, habitat loss and pollution,' she said.

Booth ended the post by promising to keep people updated on the otter pups as they grow.

Asian small-clawed otters are the smallest of 13 otter species.

Otters have two layers of fur - one is thick and waterproof and the inner layer keeps them warm.

They are very strong swimmers and use their tails to sweep from side to side, helped by their webbed feet.

World Otter Day is considered a day to raise awareness of struggles otters face.

This includes habitat destruction, illegal pet and fur trades, pollution and hunting.

It was launched by the International Otter Survival Fund.