Nature

Vet Jabs And Chips Squeaking Female Otter Pup For The First Time After It Was Born In Swiss Zoo

The video shows the moment a squeaking female otter pup gets chipped and receives a vaccine for the first time ever after it was born as one of triplet siblings in a Swiss zoo in July.

Held by zoo keeper Manuel who made sure to keep it safe during its first ever experience at the vet’s, the little one seemed shocked to see the needle after vet Patricia checked its heart and finalized the health check.

Despite efforts to express its disapproval regarding the jab and the chip, the small pup calmed down after Patricia gave it a warm pet on its belly while she checked its gender and discovered it is a girl.

The two females and one male otter pups which are about to be named at the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland. (Zoo Zurich, Nicole Schnyder/Newsflash)

The other two otter cubs, born to mother Lulu and father Tom on 5th July, were reportedly female and male.

After their successful health check, the zoo turned to its loyal supporters and asked them to help choose names for the otter pups now that their genders have been confirmed, through an online poll which will remain open until 11.59pm on 31st August.

The little ones’ names should begin with the letter ‘V’, similar to other animals born in 2021, while options include ‘Vali, Vito, Vif and Vini’ for the male pup, and ‘Vanja, Vilja, Valina, Venia, Vala and Vanadis’ for the two females.

The two females and one male otter pups which are about to be named at the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland. (Zoo Zurich, Nicole Schnyder/Newsflash)

The three pups belong to the European otter (Lutra lutra) species, which is also known as the Eurasian otter, and can be found in the waterways and coasts of Europe, many parts of Asia, and parts of northern Africa.

According to online sources, the species is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as it is endangered in some parts of its range, but is recovering in others.

In Switzerland otters are endangered and strictly protected through the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP), formerly known as European Endangered Species Programme.

The two females and one male otter pups which are about to be named at the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland. (Zoo Zurich, Nicole Schnyder/Newsflash)

Additionally, otters were considered extinct in the alpine country in the 1980s, but an increasing number of individuals who migrate through rivers in France and Austria have been spotted in Switzerland since 2009.

In order to secure the species, the Zurich Zoo collaborates with the Pro Lutra Foundation, located in the municipality of Pontresina, which aims to ecologically upgrade otter habitats such as alluvial forests, as well as river and lake banks in order to positively influence the return of the species in the country.

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