A group of otters are off on an adventure.
Captive-bred otters from the Blue Planet Aquarium at Cheshire Oaks are on their way to a new home in Ireland.
The five Asian short claw otters, which were all born at the attraction, are heading off to an aquarium in Dingle, County Kerry to form part of a new colony there.
The otters, four males and one female, are all aged between three-and-half years and 13 months old and are the offspring of the aquarium’s resident couple Lola and Flynn.
Blue Planet Aquarium’s Luke Atkinson said: “We were obviously all sad to say goodbye to them but it was important that, once they reached maturity, they were able to move on and become part of a new group somewhere else.
“This is the start of an exciting new adventure for them and we will be keeping a close eye on them as they settle in to their new home in Ireland.”
Prior to departure all five were microchipped to ensure they can easily be individually identified and information on their life history shared.
Blue Planet explains that, as their name suggests, Asian short claw otters are found throughout southern Asia including India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Unlike most otters, their front feet are only partly webbed and have short claws used for digging under rocks and in the mud.
These special adaptations make them particularly dexterous and they are often seen ‘juggling’ or playing with rocks and pebbles.
The otters are highly social and intelligent mammals with a wide vocabulary and scientists have identified up to 12 different calls.
Blue Planet says that in captivity they can live to at least 12 years with some animals living beyond their 20th birthdays.
