DUBUQUE, Iowa - The River Museum in Dubuque received an orphaned river otter on Tuesday where she met her new companion - a male river otter already at the museum.
KWQC TV6 reports the male was also an orphan and was in need of a companion. The Museum started a search and found another orphaned female in the state in need of a home.
Abby Urban is the curator of Living Collections and tells KWQC TV6, "We were contacted about the female river otter shortly after we made plans to bring the male otter to the River Museum. We'd been expecting to find the male otter a potential companion through our partners within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; however, finding out about another young orphaned otter within the state in need of placement took us by surprise."
The otters were first housed separately and slowly introduced which was a success. They are now in the Flooded Forest habitat. A third older otter lives in a habitat nearby.
Photo courtesy of KWQC TV6.