SUAMICO, Wis. (WBAY/Gray) – A zoo in Wisconsin is searching for river otters who escaped from their enclosure during a winter storm.
The NEW Zoo in Suamico, Wisconsin, reported two of their North American river otters, Louis and Ophelia, escaped early Thursday morning.
The zoo said the otters enlarged a “small breach” in their buried fencing around their habitat and used that to escape. Zookeepers noticed the two otters were missing during their morning rounds on Thursday and initiated the zoo’s procedures for escaped animals.
A professional tracker was brought in to help find them.
“The fresh snowfall yesterday meant lots of very clear track evidence we could use to piece together the story of their activities,“ the zoo said in a Facebook post. ”Otters have some of the most easily recognizable tracks of all mammals, due to the way they frequently slide on their bellies.
In the meantime, the otters appear to be enjoying their escapade. The zoo said it is apparent through camera footage and the otters’ tracks that they are taking in the fresh snowfall, “romping around the zoo, frequently sliding on their bellies and exploring nearby water bodies.”
Their tracks showed the otters going through the Reforestation Camp and circling back to the zoo repeatedly.
The zoo said otters are territorial, and it’s possible they’ll return to their habitat on their own. In the meantime, the zoo thinks Louie and Ophelia will find plenty of food and safe places for sleeping around the ponds and waterways that surround the zoo.
“North American river otters are native to our area and are very comfortable and capable of surviving in Wisconsin’s climate.”
The zoo asks visitors and nearby residents to document any sightings of the otters and to send it them as professional trackers, motion-activated cameras and other devices will continue the search for the escapees.
Copyright 2025 WBAY via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.