Giant Otters

Zambar

Zambar

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Currently the only giant otter in the UK is Manoki, a female at the Chestnut Centre in Derbyshire. This has now changed however, because on my visit to it's sister park The New Forest Otter, Owl & Wildlife Park today I saw a huge individual splashing around a bit further away from the path in a quarantine pen. When I asked a keeper he confirmed I wasn't seeing things, and they are in fact quarantining a male giant otter who will be sent on to the Chestnut Centre to breed with Manoki. And that's not all; the New Forest park itself hopes to keep a family group perhaps in their woodland lake within a couple of years.

Just goes to show it's starting to go strong for this rarely-kept and fascinating species in the UK. :)
 
thats great news MD, thanks for that.

Would be great to see giant otter become an established species in the UK.

Any idea where he came from?
 
Forgot to ask that, sorry, but I 'spect he came from Germany, as I believe somewhere over there does well with the species.
 
This should be about right?

Situation at the moment, more or less like this:
1.1 Duisburg
1.1 Chestnut centre
1.1 Zoo Doue-la-Fontaine
2.3? at Hamburg, at least one pair with their last litter, not sure how many (2 or 3 i believe)
7 animals at Dortmund if i'm correct, some Hamburg offspring and some offspring from their pair Sol/old male?

There are no more zoos in Europe that keep them, and the numbers are about right as well...

Hope this works? This is the studbook:
http://forum.zoofreunde.net/attachment.php?aid=957

Here's the studbook with just adults/alive animals (year old? something like that)
http://forum.zoofreunde.net/attachment.php?aid=958

The male that went to the Chestnut Centre is Male "Panambi" from the first "new" Hamburg litter. Totally unrelated to the present female.
 
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when did he arrive, i went to the newforest at the summer, this is great news, giant otters are one of my favourite animals.

md - where would they keep giant otters at newforest?
 
jwer said:
Situation at the moment, more or less like this:
1.1 Duisburg
Click to expand...

The elderly male at Duisburg was sent to Dortmund, the outside exhibit was revamped and enlarged and an indoor exhibit created. After that they received a young pair (hamburg/dortmund born mix) from Dortmund around August this year...
 
I saw the original pair of giant otters at the Chestnut Centre some years ago and liked their woodland setting pool , they were very lively and vocal .
 
TLG - The giant otter male Panambi is not actually on public exhibit at the New Forest, but he is in some of the quarantine pens which are visible. If you stand next to the pine marten enclosure directly north of the wildcats and not the one that's to the right of them, you'll see some pens a little bit further away from this exhibit. In the one nearest to you, you may see Panambi splashing and froclicking around his pen: Even when he's quite far away, it's an impressive sight. If you want to try and catch a glimpse however you'l need to visit soon before he moves up to Derbyshire.
 
Marwell Dalek said:
TLG - The giant otter male Panambi is not actually on public exhibit at the New Forest, but he is in some of the quarantine pens which are visible. If you stand next to the pine marten enclosure directly north of the wildcats and not the one that's to the right of them, you'll see some pens a little bit further away from this exhibit. In the one nearest to you, you may see Panambi splashing and froclicking around his pen: Even when he's quite far away, it's an impressive sight. If you want to try and catch a glimpse however you'l need to visit soon before he moves up to Derbyshire.
Click to expand...

yeah i know where you mean! pine martens my favourite :)

my main question is where would newforest keep them if they were to get giant otters, will it be purpose built?
 
I asked a keeper, and he said they would probably keep a family in the wildlife pond next to the boardwalk (the previous headkeeper had told me they were thinking of keeping beavers there) or in one of the woodland pens made larger.
 
Marwell Dalek said:
I asked a keeper, and he said they would probably keep a family in the wildlife pond next to the boardwalk (the previous headkeeper had told me they were thinking of keeping beavers there) or in one of the woodland pens made larger.
Click to expand...

can you explain where that is? and beavers sound good too
 
The large lake to you're right upon entering the owlery and to the left of the boardwalk.
 
:eek: Panambi is a girl!!!
I watched her growing up. She's a great one, helps her mother a lot with her younger siblings. I hope she is well in Chestnut and I'm happy that she found there a new home.

In Europe there are these zoos with giant otters:

Germany:
Hamburg
2,2,4 (1,1 litter from 2008; 0,4 from yesterday)
Dortmund
3,1 (2,0 are father and son, they are behind scenes; 1,0 from Hamburg's litter 2007 and 0,1 (daughter and sister of 2,0) are the new breeding-hope)
Duisburg
1,1 (1,0 from Hamburg's litter 2007, 0,1 from Dortmund's litter 2005)
Leipzig (behind the scenes, waiting for Gondwanaland)
1,2 (siblings from Dortmund's litters 2005 & 2007)

France:
Doue la Fontaine
1,1 (1,0 from Dortmund's litter 2004, 0,1 from Cali's litter 2002)

UK:
Chestnut
1,1 (1,0 from Dortmund's litter 2005, 0,1 from Hamburg's litter 2007)

I guess that are all...


can somebody tell me if Manoki and Panambi get along well with each other? I hope that they will breed, because they are not related.
Has somebody new pictures of them where you can see their "bib"?
 
We visited Chestnut earlier this year. The otters seemed very compatible! I have posted a photo in the Chestnut gallery and will be uploading a few more eventually.
 
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