Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital celebrated World Otter Day with the news that their rescue Otter has been released back into the wild.
Johannesburg, South Africa – Yesterday was World Otter Day and to celebrate it, the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital shared the happy news of their latest release. They started treating an African Clawless Otter a few months ago and she was recently released.
She was kept as a pet but thankfully, the North West SPCA confiscated her and took her to the Johannesburg Wildlife Vet to be checked up. She was found to be suffering from malnutrition and treated accordingly so she could grow properly.
“In acknowledgement of World Otter Day, we’re so pleased to share our latest release story! For a few months, we have been giving updates on an African Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis), that has been raised and cared for at our facility. After being kept illegally as a pet, she was confiscated by North West SPCA. When we received her, she was a few weeks old and it was critical that the correct nutrition was given to ensure she grew and reached the necessary developmental milestones.”
“Founding member, director and rehab specialist, Nicci Wright, who is also a member of the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group as well as the African Otter Network closely monitored her diet as well as identified the perfect slow-release site for her to ensure that she lives successfully in the wild, once truly free.”
Her diet was established and companies jumped on board to make sure she had an endless supply of fish. The wildlife vet launched a “OneMeal” initiative so she would have enough to last her entire rehabilitation. The organisation thanked everyone who donated to keep her fed and healthy.
“We’d like to share our appreciation to everyone that supported our #OneMeal initiative for her, as well as generous fish donations from the Ocean Basket team, Atlantic Food services, Delia Glaeser, Fisheries Hartbeespoort and most recently, Twisted Whiskers Pet Deli and Spa for a massive donation! An extra thank you to Sheryl Pienaar for collecting fish donations when necessary too.”
Now that the sweet little creature is strong and ready, she has been soft-released into a local river where she is doing well for herself. According to the team, she has started catching her own fish and is becoming more self-sufficient. They will keep an eye on her for now until she is well adjusted to her surroundings.
You can see some pictures from her time at the vet below.
As always, the vet treat all indigenous animals free of charge. They rely on donations to keep their good work going so if you would like to assist them, you can do so with the information below.
“We treat indigenous animals free of charge, relying solely on the donations and support of our community.
BANK TRANSFER:
Johannesburg Wildlife NPC
FNB Cheque account
Account nr: 62658400264
Branch code: 255355
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ”
All images were taken by Sarah Kempen, Ashleigh Pienaar and Collette Tracy.
by 