Murrells Inlet, SC- The Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens got a surprise new resident that will soon become part of the new River Otter exhibit. In late May, staff member Barbara Stone, found a baby otter struggling to cross a road in the Gardens. She picked him up and took him to the Zoo office and the staff immediately began to search for the nest and the mother. They were unable to locate either but had some extra formula on hand and he was hungry. “ I think he just got separated from the litter†said Andrea DeMuth, Curator of Animals. “He is small for his age and probably just could not keep up with them. We had our vet, Dr. Sharon Jansky with ARK Animal Hospital in Surfside Beach, check him out and he is just fine.â€
Senior animal handler, Larry Elliott, is hand raising the two-three month old otter and teaching him how to swim. When he is older he will join the other otters in the Zoo but for now, he is not part of the daily program.
“Preserving the animals who live on the property at Brookgreen is a significant part of our mission and we were very excited that we could help out this little guy,†said Bob Jewell, President and CEO. “We knew we needed more river otters for the new otter exhibit that will open later this month and were amazed when this baby otter showed up at our door.â€
Brookgreen Gardens is a non-profit corporation and a National Historic Landmark located on U.S. 17 between Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Children 5 and under are admitted free; adult tickets (13-64) are $12; seniors (65 and over) are $10; children ages 6-12 are $5. Admission to Brookgreen is good for seven days. For more information, consult our web site at www.brookgreen.org or call 843-235-6000.