Bubble and Squeak are two baby otters who were born at ZSL London Zoo during the lockdown.
Until now, members of the public hadn’t seen them in person as the zoo was closed, but after the reopening on June 15, they’ve now been spotted.
The Asian short-clawed otter pups – as is standard with their breed – have stayed in their holts (small holes where they live near river banks) for the first few weeks of their lives.
They were born on April 15 and haven’t had their first health check yet, as zookeepers wanted to make sure the family – the two babies and their mum and dad Pip and Mathilda – were bonded first.
Even the keepers haven’t been able to properly meet Bubble and Squeak yet, but have now seen mum and dad carrying their babies out and about. Once they do get a chance to check the pups, they’ll be able to determine their sex and find out more.
ZSL London Zoo senior zookeeper Laura Garrett said: ‘We set up cameras to monitor their progress, and were overjoyed when we spotted Pip and Mathilda finally carrying them outside — otter pups don’t leave the family holt for at least the first six weeks of their lives, so they’re perfectly on schedule.
‘Bubble and Squeak caused so much excitement when they arrived in April: the first animals born at the Zoo during lockdown, they boosted the morale of our hard-working zookeeper team and everyone has been waiting eagerly for them to emerge from their holt ever since.’
At the moment, visits to the zoo are limited, with guests having to book tickets in advance and observe social distancing measures while they’re there.
If you are lucky enough to get in and see the family, though, you’ll be witnessing a big moment for the city’s otter population.
Laura continued: ‘Both Pip and Mathilda are very paws-on parents and have been devoted to their pups, barely leaving their side — we’re so pleased that the Zoo has reopened in time for the public to see the whole family start to playfully explore together on their private riverbank.’
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