16-05-2025
Niabi Zoo welcomes new Asian small clawed otters
Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley has added two new adorable animals to the facility.
Niabi Zoo has a new exhibit featuring Asian small-clawed otters, the smallest otter species in the world. The otters are named Tina and Louise and are on exhibit in Niabi's Biodiversity Hall. These small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus) are native to South and Southeast Asia and have dexterous front paws and short claws that don't extend beyond their webbed toes. These adaptations make them highly skilled at foraging. They usually live in riverbanks, wetlands and mangrove swamps, feeding on mollusks, crabs and other small aquatic animals.
Tina and Louise arrived at Niabi this spring as part of a cooperative placement with other accredited facilities. They are often found in pairs, but this species can also live in extended family groups in the wild of up to a dozen individuals.
'Asian small-clawed otters are known for being active and playful, and we're thrilled to be able to share them with our visitors,' said Lee Jackson, director of Niabi Zoo. 'Bringing species like these to Niabi is part of our broader mission to inspire curiosity, connect people to wildlife and elevate conversations around conservation.'
Asian small-clawed otters are listed as 'Vulnerable' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) because of habitat destruction, pollution and illegal hunting. The IUCN's Red List is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
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