ORLANDO, Fla. — Two orphaned North American river otters have been released back into the wild after spending months in the care of the Florida Wildlife Hospital.
The two female otters were admitted separately earlier this year. One arrived as an infant on Jan. 15, while the other arrived as a juvenile on Feb. 13. After a quarantine period, the two were housed together once the younger otter had grown enough to match the older one’s size.
During their rehabilitation, staff bottle-fed the otters before teaching them to swim and hunt live fish and blue crabs.
“Otters are one of the most expensive patients we care for due to their expensive food and the length of time it takes for them to learn skills needed to survive in the wild,” Florida Wildlife Hospital Executive Director Tracy Frampton said. “However, they are pretty entertaining to watch.”
The otters were released Aug. 5 after completing their rehabilitation.
The Florida Wildlife Hospital has served the Space Coast for more than 50 years. The organization said it treated a record 7,644 wildlife patients last year and accepts native wildlife 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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