Back in May rangers at Elk Neck State Park in Cecil County noticed some strange noises coming from near the water.
The crying, squeaking and grunting was coming from a North American Otter pup, whose mother never returned.
Now that pup has a new home and is causing quite a buzz there.
The Maryland Zoo, in Baltimore, is caring for the pup and helping it meet its developmental benchmarks.
Unfortunately, zoo goers won’t get a glimpse of the pup, which is now about five months old.
“We weren’t exactly sure what she was exposed to out in the wild,” said Jennifer Sohl, the director of hospital and conservation programs at the Maryland Zoo. “Otters are susceptible to canine distemper which foxes and all those can carry around. Also, there’s tick borne diseases and things that she could be exposed to.”
Otters are also susceptible to COVID-19, which is another good reason the yet-to-be-named pup isn’t anywhere near the public.
“She’s very susceptible, we always wear masks when we’re around her,” Sohl said.
For now, zookeepers and vets are working to keep the pup healthy and teaching it some of the skills it would have learned from its mother.
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
