Otter News Archive

Otter escapes from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Four got out, but three captured by staff

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26th March 2010

Colorado Connection (KXRM Fox 21 / KXTU CW 57), Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) staff is searching for a North American river otter that breached secondary fencing at the zoo on Thursday. The animal is thought to be in the Broadmoor area of Colorado Springs where it was sighted on Thursday afternoon.

CMZ assures residents who live adjacent to the zoo that pets and family members are safe, but koi or other ornamental fish in decorative ponds are at risk.

North American river otters are indigenous to Colorado. The on-the-loose otter is described as four feet long, from nose to tip of tail, dark brown in color with a nearly white muzzle.

Animal department staff at CMZ discovered on Thursday morning that a failed crimp in the otter exhibit’s mesh covering gave all four zoo otters the opportunity to exit their exhibit space. Two of the otters were discovered within minutes at the grizzly pond, directly above the otter exhibit in the Rocky Mountain Wild complex. A third otter was recovered by vet and animal staff within the zoo’s secondary containment fence about an hour later.

The otter should pose no threat to residents if they do not provoke the animal, say zoo officials.

CMZ staff ask everyone in the area to check ponds and water features on their property for evidence of the otter, especially if the ponds hold fish. This evidence includes dead fish, fish remains and tracks from the otter.

If anyone spots the otter or observes evidence that the otter has been in your area, CMZ asks that you do not approach the animal, but call a zoo animal manager at 719-459-0524 or 801-634-1125 to make a report.

Time of day and direction the otter was traveling in and/or type of evidence is of importance in making the report to the zoo.