PRESS ROOM

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

The North American river otters at the Detroit Zoo have tested the waters of the newly renovated and expanded Edward Mardigian Sr. River Otter Habitat – and now their spruced-up space is an open house for Zoo visitors.

Thanks to a gift from the Edward Mardigian Family Foundation, the habitat has more than tripled in size, increasing from 680 to 2,500 square feet and incorporating indoor and outdoor environments. The aquatic area has been expanded from 5,900 to 9,000 gallons of water, and a new outdoor oasis – complete with a sandy beach, tall trees and a flowing stream – adds to the previously existing indoor retreat, which includes a waterfall and waterslide.

“It’s important that we provide animals with habitats that are naturalistic and expansive and that ensure they are thriving and not just surviving,” said Scott Carter, Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) chief life sciences officer. “The otters have more room to roam – and swim – and visitors have more viewing options.”

Natural light pours into the new rustic interior of the building, with exposed raw wood logs comprising the walls, evoking a handcrafted log cabin. Floor-to-ceiling acrylic windows provide visitors with dramatic views of the animals exploring their habitat, and underwater viewing remains for even the tiniest of guests to get nose-to-nose with these charismatic creatures.

Built in 1997, the Edward Mardigian Sr. River Otter Habitat is home to Sparky, 3, his parents Lucius, 11, and Whisker, 14, and 16-year-old female, Storm. Whisker found sanctuary at the Detroit Zoo in 2009 after she was discovered under a house in Washington State. Storm was rescued from the bottom of a hill along Lake Michigan with no den or family in sight and came to the Detroit Zoo in 2002. Lucius was born at another zoo and arrived here in 2009.

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) weighs 20-30 pounds, and its slender, cylindrical body reaches 2-3 feet in length. The semi-aquatic mammal sports short, dense, waterproof fur and profuse whiskers. The playful river otter is swift on land as well as in the water, though its loping trot can look somewhat ungainly compared to its graceful glide through the water.

Once abundant in U.S. and Canadian rivers, lakes and coastal areas, river otter populations have suffered significant declines due to fur trapping, water pollution, habitat destruction, pesticides and other threats. Today, the animal can be found in parts of Canada, the Northwest, the upper Great Lakes region, New England and Atlantic and Gulf Coast states.