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An Orphan No More

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By KATHY MOORE kmoore@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 5, 2009

A young male otter scampered across the floor of its cage Wednesday afternoon at The Florida Aquarium, squeaking at visitors. The approximately 3-month-old pup was found orphaned in Brandon on Tuesday and was taken to an emergency animal clinic, but the clinic had never cared for an otter before, so its staff called the aquarium.

"He's definitely a feisty little thing. He's active and running around," said Katie Jeffrey, a biologist and otter specialist at the aquarium.

Staff at the aquarium gave him a full battery of medical tests to determine his health and gender. He will remain in quarantine for a couple of weeks and will receive food every four hours.

"He's a little thin, but we are going to get him beefed up with some good food and get him ready to go here soon," Jeffrey said.

Once the critter is on solid food and healthy, the staff will teach him to swim. It is still unclear whether he will be returned to the wild.

"A lot of times when otters are this young, it is very difficult to return them to the wild because of the fact that they do somewhat imprint on humans, and they are not learning from mom how to hunt," Jeffrey said. "If he can't be, we'll definitely find him a great home whether that is here at the aquarium or another facility."

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