Tulsa Zoo takes care of some rescued otters

Two Oklahoman orphans will soon be starting a new life, one they almost didn't live to see. <br/><br/>The News on 6's Heather Lewin has their story from the Tulsa Zoo. <br/><br/>It's a death-defying

Friday, June 3rd 2005, 12:13 pm

By: News On 6

Two Oklahoman orphans will soon be starting a new life, one they almost didn't live to see.

The News on 6's Heather Lewin has their story from the Tulsa Zoo.

It's a death-defying adventure, a hair raising tale of love and loss, complete with a hero and a happy ending. "We got a call from a woman in Hugo Oklahoma, her husband and her son had gone out fishing that morning and they found two otter pups." Tulsa zookeeper Pamela Bingham says the two were all alone in the world, their mother lay dead on the shore, and the pups were barely alive. "I'm almost certain they wouldn't have made it.â€

The fishermen warmed them up and brought them here, where caregivers keep a steady diet of seafood in their bellies. Nursed back to health, they can't be released back into the wild. "They were too young to learn how to hunt, which their mother teaches them, swimming does come natural, but again their mother teaches them how to do everything in the water."

In about two years, the pups will be adults and their adventures will continue, they're about to head to the largest otter exhibit in North America. A life once fraught with danger and uncertainty they're now embracing with sheer abandon. "Otters in particular have a special place in my heart seeing those guys acting and playing like otters should and just being healthy is really amazing."

Soon they'll bet off to a zoo in Lansing, Michigan. Keepers say while it's sad to see them go they otter do just fine. While adorable, zookeepers want to remind everyone otters do *not* make good pets.

Even though this pair is leaving, two other otters are on display at the Tulsa Zoo. They were also rescued.