When the Oregon Zoo last week asked the public to vote on one of three pre-selected names for its 6-week-old river otter pup, about 50 percent of more than 8,000 voters chose Zigzag – Ziggy for short – over Trask or Willamette.
The zoo prefers to name its river otters after Northwest waterways. The Zigzag River is a 12-mile tributary of the Sandy River. It flows down Mount Hood through Zigzag Canyon.
Plus, it's nearly as much fun to say as the little otter must be to watch, which from time to time is now possible, according to the zoo.
The pup, born Nov. 8, was tucked away in a maternity den with mother, Tilly – short for Tillamook – until recently. But now that he has opened his eyes and started to walk, he and his mom can sometimes be seen through a den window in the Cascade Stream and Pond exhibit.
"Young river otters are very dependent on their moms, and Tilly has been very nurturing," said Julie Christie, senior keeper for the zoo's North America area. "She did a great job with her first pup, Mo, earlier this year. She raised him up from this tiny, helpless creature into the sleek, agile, full-grown otter he is today. We're confident Tilly will be a great mom to her new pup as well."
Eventually, Tilly will teach Ziggy to swim; the skill doesn't come naturally to river otters.
A video of her teaching her first offspring to swim drew more than half a million views on the zoo's YouTube channel.
(Oregon Live - Dec 20, 2013)
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