Baby otters take first peek out of the nest (From Swindon Advertiser)

Baby otters take first peek out of the nest

4:34pm Thursday 22nd December 2011 in News

TWO baby otters have joined the ranks at Cotswold Wildlife Park in time for Christmas.

The kits, named Bubbles and Splash, are a welcome addition to the ever popular Asian small-clawed otter family. After spending the first few months hidden from sight, they are making an appearance just in time for Christmas.

Most otters are solitary, but this species live in family groups consisting of an alpha breeding pair and offspring who all share in raising the young kits.

They are the smallest of 13 species of otter.

The babies are born blind and toothless, with a silky coat of dark hair. They stay in the nest for the first eight weeks and do not leave their mother until she mates again.

Curator Jamie Craig said: “Otters certainly have the cute factor as far as the public are concerned.

“Just recently our visitors have been delighted by the sight of the new arrivals investigating their watery home – even in this weather.”