The High Desert Museum's river otter population has dropped from two to one, following the death of Thomas (and we have no idea if he is L or R).
Courtesy of the High Desert Museum
A 16-year old Northern river otter at Central Oregon’s High Desert Museum has died. Museum staff say the animal they called Thomas died of old age.
Thomas had been a fixture at the museum for more than a decade. Biologists determined he wouldn’t be able to survive on his own in the wild since he was born in captivity.
Dana Whitelaw is Vice President of Programs at the museum.
She says otters, in particular, make for effective teaching tools, simply because they’re so adept at drawing people in.
“They’re a very charismatic mammal that’s dependent on the fish, which are dependent on the insects, which are dependent on the small plant species that are in those riparian areas. And so there’s that wonderful chain of connections that the otters highlight,” Whitelaw said.
With Thomas now gone, a 4-year-old male named Rogue is the museum’s sole river otter. Whitelaw says the museum is working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to find another otter to keep Rogue company.
This was first reported by OPB.
