They’re cute, fuzzy, and also quite rare. The Santa Barbara Zoo’s newest residents are four Asian small-clawed otter pups.
The pups were born at the zoo earlier this month as part of a cooperative breeding program among zoos intended to increase the species population.
The otters are found in parts of India, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They have webbed feet and tiny claws. The small-clawed otter population has been shrinking due to loss of habitat, as well as poaching by hunters.
Visitors to the zoo won’t be able to see the baby otters until around the first of the year, after they’ve had a chance to mature a little.
