When Oregon State Park Ranger Tyler Banks noticed a brown ball of fur curled up in a roadside ditch in Cove Palisades State Park this past June, the nature-lover couldn’t help but take a closer look. Upon further inspection, Banks realized the fur belonged to orphaned otter pups in desperate need of help.
Banks contacted a state police wildlife officer and told him whom he’d found. The officer quickly transported the pups to Think Wild, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization.
Safe at the animal hospital, the otter pups received lifesaving care. Animal experts kept the little girls hydrated and gave them a full examination. All the while, the team worked hard to ensure the otters didn’t get too comfortable around humans, as this would hinder their ability to return to the wild.
“River otters are highly intelligent and can easily become habituated to humans if proper precautions are not taken,” Think Wild director of wildlife rehabilitation Pauline Hice said in a press release. “Animals that become comfortable around humans cannot safely or humanely be returned to the wild, so we are taking extreme measures to ensure the otter pups do not associate humans or their scent with food or safety.”
Instead, the otter pups relied on each other for comfort, cuddling together.
Once healthy enough, the pups moved to Wildlife Center of The North Coast for long-term rehabilitation.
A few months later, experts determined that the otters had developed the skills necessary for success in the wild. They were ready to go home. Rescuers transported the pups back to Think Wild, where staff members could release them in the habitat where they were born.
Think Wild staff performed a soft release, providing the otters with a few tools necessary for survival so that they’d have an easier time adjusting back to life on their own. Rescuers installed a temporary den and planned to provide supplementary food through a special port meant to avoid direct human contact.
“This transition period is crucial for their survival,” Hice said in the press release. “By providing this additional support, we’re giving these otters the best possible chance at a successful return
to the wild.”
Finally, the otters returned to the park and scurried off into freedom.