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.