Baby Otters Get Swimming Lessons

At the Longleat House and Safari Park in the UK, Beverley Allen is teaching two tiny otters how to swim. The pair, named Sumalee and Kasem, are being given swimming lessons in a baby pool in preparation to be returned to their Mom Mum and Dad.

Allen took over hand raising the otters because their mother was too old to produce milk for them. According to the Longleat House website, "the cuddly creatures live in her spare room, scamper round the house after her and even sit on her lap while she watches television." Initially she had to bottle feed them every two hours so having them in her home at night made that possible.

Says Allen about the cuddly cuties, "I started off putting them in the sink with a little bit of water when they were about nine weeks old. Then they progressed to my bath, where I could make the water a bit deeper to let them practice their breathing. Now they're splashing around quite happily in a paddling pool, with a few toys to encourage them to play."

"We're beginning to introduce them to their mum and dad gradually," says Allen, "letting them get used to the smell and sounds, so it won't be long now until they're with them permanently."

In the meantime, we could watch this video all day long. And we just might.

Tags: otters, swimming