What a better way to start the day than with your daily dose of cute? That’s exactly what the Animal Kingdom is serving up today as they introduce guests to three new otter pups who recently made their on stage debut on Friday, April 11th. Born back in December, the pups are finally ready to take center stage and win the hearts of all the guests who come to visit them at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!
Everyone give a warm welcome to Butternut, Biscuit, and Potato. These little cuties are the first otter pups born at Walt Disney World since 2018, born to otter parents Mae and Kevin at the Otter Grotto. Mae, Kevin, Butternut, Biscuit, and Potato are all Asian Small-Clawed Otters, the smallest otter species discovered to date! Like kittens and puppies, the otters are born with their eyes closed, and it can take several weeks for them to open them! After that, the pups can start to learn how to swim and eat solid foods, spending lots of quality time with their mama so that she can teach them how to be otters. Unlike a lot of animals, the Asian Small-Clawed Otter does not rely heavily on instinctual behaviors in their infancy, and have to learn from mom and dad!
These otters are the latest in a string of births at Animal Kingdom, coming after the announcement of Baby Tucker, a Masai Giraffe, and Baby Bakso, a Sumatran Tiger. Walt Disney World does everything they can to help these cute little critters feel right at home by meticulously re-creating the otters’ natural freshwater habitats to ensure they feel safe, comfortable, and happy in their home at the Animal Kingdom!
Disney wildlife experts and caretakers engage with the otters in helpful ways, to enrich their lives and help them learn important behaviors. Otters are given treats – tasty mussels and clams that the pups can learn to pry open with their nimble paws, just like mom shows them! The Otters also learn to participate in medical check-ups to ensure that they’re as healthy as they are happy. Relying on cues from medical professionals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the otters learn to present their little hands and feet for examination, or open their mouths for dental checks!
And when they’re not interacting with Disney’s trained wildlife experts, they’ve got plenty of room to explore the dry land their habitat enclosure offers! They often hunt, climb, play, and sleep among logs, rocks, and burrows, and can often be seen marking scents on land as well!
The birth of these three new Asian Small-Clawed Otters (as well as the previous litter of pups who can still be found at the Otter Grotto with their newest friends!) represents another achievement for species like the otters here at Walt Disney World, who have been threatened in recent years due to habitat loss and pollution.
“The Walt Disney Company is committed to saving wildlife and protecting the magic of nature together as a global community. The Disney Conservation Fund supports organization and communities working to protect spaces for people and wildlife across Asia and the world.” This mission statement, found on the attraction page for the Asian Small-Clawed Otters, perfectly encapsulates the importance of the world that the Walt Disney Company does at the Animal Kingdom.
Guests can meet Butternut, Biscuit, and Potato now at the Otter Grotto, along with the rest of their furry friends in and out of the water!
Check back soon, as Theme Park Shark will continue to report on the amazing wildlife at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as other theme park news from Disney, Universal, and theme parks from all across the world!
