British zoo welcomes 'surprise' birth of endangered giant otter triplets
Last updated on: 13 April,2023 01:43 pm
Giant otter parents Alexandra and Orimar welcomed triplets on March 27.
LONDON (Web Desk) - A zoo in Yorkshire, England, announced the "surprise" birth of endangered giant otter triplets -- the second such litter in only 18 months.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Park said giant otter parents Alexandra and Orimar welcomed triplets on March 27, less than 18 months after their last batch of triplets were born.
The zoo said latest triplets came as a surprise to zookeepers and the babies are a welcome addition to the facility's ongoing conservation program for the species, which has been listed as endangered since 1999.
"We are overjoyed at welcoming a second litter of giant otters in such a short time," Kelsie Wood, the zoo's aquatics team leader, said in a news release. "Giant otters don't always breed easily and every birth is a significant and valuable one for the breeding program."
Wood said the babies born in 2022 are being looked after by their big sister, Bonita, to allow Alexandra to tend to her newborns.