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Orphaned otter takes to water like she oughta

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17th July 2010

The Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

TAMPA - A 7-month-old river otter named Gracie took her first swimming lesson at The Florida Aquarium this week.

And like most of her kind, Gracie took to the water like she oughta.

"She did great," aquarium biologist Susan Gerros said. "She did awesome."
Biologists say river otters are not born with the ability to swim and have to learn the skill, usually as pups from their mothers. Since Gracie is an orphan, the task fell to human handlers at the aquarium.

So in the aquarium's wetlands exhibit, Gracie was given her first lesson in the deeper water. All went swimmingly.

"She dove in headfirst with no problems," Gerros said.

She said some young otters that come to the aquarium after being injured, orphaned or abandoned take some time to learn to swim in the deeper water.
Gracie has been at the aquarium since March, when someone near Brandon found her abandoned. Biologists figure she's 7 months old