Otter News Archive

The baby otter takes her bottle. Robbyn Brooks DESTIN — Tenielle Welch is waiting on a special formula she needs to feed her latest foster baby. You can’t simply pick up formula for an otter at the grocery store.

Until then, the staff and volunteers at the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge are mixing a special ratio of squirrel and opossum formula for the several-month-old playful creature.

During the day, the North American River Otter that the Refuge has been caring for since Monday stays at the office. At night, she goes home with Welch, or one of the other staff members.

The gray otter rolls around her container and nips at her feet, much like a child. She presses her little nose against the side and even peeks curiously over the top when the lid is open. However, a sign posted at the Refuge reminds workers to not speak to the animals or handle them too much so they don’t become “inprinted” and accustomed to human companionship.

Sometimes it’s hard for the animal handlers not to get attached, but Welch said it’s easier if she remembers the Refuge’s mission.

“What I really want for her is for her to be able to go into the wild and live her life like a normal otter. It’s a little easier for me to look at her and say, ‘No I’m not going to hug and kiss you, that way you can have a normal life.’ ”

Since it was found and the Refuge took it in, the tiny otter has graduated from being fed every couple of hours to lasting four to six hours between feedings.

“You can see when she really starts acting like she wants to eat,” Welch said.

And eating is a large part of why the average person shouldn’t try to keep, or rehabilitate a wild animal. Welch said if you even make the slightest mistake, it could kill the animal.

“The sooner they can get them to us, the sooner we’ll be able to keep them healthy and ensure they can be released again,” Welch said.

Welch said an otter usually remains with its mother for about a year. She said the Refuge hopes to release their charge a little before then.

The otter isn’t the only baby the Refuge is caring for, there’s a small Great Horned Owl, too. Welch said it’s the start of “baby season.”

The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is always in need of volunteers and funding. If you’d like to help, visit ecwildliferefuge.com.

The Refuge doesn’t turn any animal away that is naturally found in Florida.“We find a way to make it work,” Welch said.

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