A North American river otter has given birth to three pups at the Seneca Park Zoo — a first in the 132-year history of the Monroe County facility.
The pups were born on Tuesday to a 9-year-old female otter named Ashkii and a 3-year-old male named Gary. County officials announced the new arrivals on Friday morning.
“The pups all appear healthy on their initial examination,” said veterinarian Dr. Chris McKinney. “Two of the pups are female and one is male. Ashkii is taking excellent care of them, and they are nursing well.”
The public will be able to see the pups via a camera feed beginning Saturday at the Creatures from the River’s Edge building. It will be several weeks before they are introduced to the otters' public habitat.
Ashkii came to the zoo in March 2020, and had a litter prior to her arrival. Gary was transferred in 2023, based on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan program.
The North American river otter is a semiaquatic mammal that lives in habitats throughout Canada and along the coasts and inland waterways of the United States, including tributaries of the Genesee River.
The zoo has participated in North American river otter conservation efforts since the 1980s, including to help reintroduce otters to regions where they had disappeared, including the Genesee Valley. The presence of otters in a waterway is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
But the zoo had never successfully bred the otters, until now.
“This is a remarkable and proud moment in the history of the Zoo,” Zoo Superintendent Bob Lee said in a news release. “These births further demonstrate the expertise and dedication of our team, who have made Seneca Park Zoo a leader in North American river otter conservation, playing a crucial role in advancing the AZA’s mission to safeguard this species and its habitat for generations to come.”
The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For tickets, go to senecaparkzoo.org/tickets.
