Otter pair on the run after escaping zoo under cover of snowstorm, Wisconsin video shows
.png "One of the otters can be seen running and then sliding across the snow after escaping from an enclosure, zoo officials say in Wisconsin.")
A pair of otters dug their way to freedom at a Wisconsin zoo and are still on the loose days later.
The North American river otters, Louie and Ophelia, escaped their enclosure under cover of a snowstorm on Thursday, March 20, the New Zoo & Adventure Park, in Green Bay, said in a Facebook post.
“Louie and Ophelia left their habitat through a small breach in buried fencing that they managed to enlarge just enough to get out,” the zoo said. “Their absence was noted immediately by zookeepers doing morning rounds and standard operating procedures for animal escapes were activated.”
The otters slipped out overnight and instead of fleeing the zoo as quickly as possible, they hung around for a while to enjoy the snow, based on video caught by cameras and the otter-shaped indentations left in the snow.
“Otters have some of the most easily recognizable tracks of all mammals, due to the way they frequently slide on their bellies,” the zoo said, sharing a clip of Louie and Ophelia performing a “characteristic ‘bounce, bounce, sliiiide’” technique often observed in otters.
Officials initially believed the otters wouldn’t stray too far from the zoo, and might even return to their enclosure on their own.
A professional tracker has been hired to help find Louie and Ophelia, but as of the morning of Sunday, March 23, the otters haven’t been recaptured.
The zoo said it has received numerous reports of sightings of the otter pair in the area, plus photo and video evidence shared by residents, which they hope will narrow down Louie and Ophelia’s location.
Otters are native to Wisconsin and Louie and Ophelia shouldn’t have much trouble surviving, officials say.
“Both Louie and Ophelia were born in the wild and brought into human care through a process of rehabilitation,” officials said. “The Zoo is surrounded by natural ponds and other waterways which provide ample food and safe places to sleep even at this time of year.”
Anyone who spots an otter in the area is asked to take video or photo and share it with the zoo on Facebook.
There were an estimated 11,000 North American river otters in Wisconsin, according to a 2016 survey by the state Department of Natural Resources.