Waking up with the river otters at the NEW Zoo in Suamico

Suamico - The NEW Zoo has two river otters, a female and a male. The male came to the NEW Zoo from a zoo in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The otters are fed a little fish and a little beef in the morning. Otters have to be fed three times each day because they have a high metabolism and burn their food up quickly. They can eat up to 20% of their body weight.

In the wild, river otters eat mainly fish, specifically slow-moving fish.

The two otters at the NEW Zoo are separated while feeding so the male doesn't eat all the food. The feeding also allows zookeepers to watch for unusual behaviors during feeding that may be signs of health problems.