A new otter pup will make its public debut to visitors at the High Desert Museum on Wednesday.
John Williams / High Desert Museum
Bend’s High Desert Museum has a new, young river otter in its exhibit. But experts would rather have been able to release him back to his family.
Jon Nelson, Curator of Wildlife at the High Desert Museum, said the pup was found in Sunriver in late May at about eight weeks old. He told KLCC, “Some wildlife rehabbers responded to a call of an otter on the golf course and when they got there, what they found was a very young, very underweight, and extremely dehydrated otter pup. And so it looks kind of like he was abandoned.”
Nelson said experts looked for several weeks for the otter’s family, but never found them. He said it’s likely people disturbed the family and they had to relocate, but were too stressed to return for the pup. The pup has adapted well to life in the museum and he’s big enough to join two other male otters in the Autzen Otter Exhibit, where he’ll live full-time starting Wednesday.
It’s baby otter time! Join us to officially welcome the new, baby otter into the Autzen Otter Exhibit TODAY at 2:30 pm! The otter pup joins the other two male otters in the Museum's care, Brook and Pitch. #WildlifeWednesday #ExperienceWonder pic.twitter.com/4z1wN3YAFF
— High Desert Museum (@HighDesertMuse) September 21, 2022
Nelson said at an auction, a trustee with three daughters won the right to name the otter, but one still hasn’t been determined. “We haven’t heard about a name yet. I suspect the daughters are arguing over what that’s going to be,” he said.
The museum, which is celebrating 40 years of operation this year, is open daily, year-round.