Seneca Park Zoo recently announced the birth of three North American river otter pups, a first in Zoo history. Mom is Ashkii, who came to the Zoo in March 2020. The pups were sired by Gary, who was transferred to the Zoo in 2023 based on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan® (SSP) Program. The pups are the first North American river otters born at the Seneca Park Zoo.
The pups are developing right on time. In March of 2025 we saw their eyes open and watched them explore the nest box. Ashkii is an excellent mom and has kept them fed and safe until they could venture out on their own. On April 3rd, the pups took their first
swim in the pond in the otter habitat. One pup jumped right in, while the others had to be “gently” plunged by their mother. You will be able to see the pups out on habitat through at least late fall 2025.
While this is the first litter of pups born at the Zoo, we have been involved in North American river otter conservation for more than three decades. In the mid-nineties the Zoo, working with New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, assisted with relocating otters to Western New York. For more than 25 years the Seneca Park Zoo staff have been instrumental in the population management and protection of North American river otters for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. More recently in 2018, the Zoo began working with RIT’s College of Science to determine the genetic diversity of river otter populations throughout the United States.
The Disappearance of Otters in Western New York
The North American river otter, commonly referred to as the river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to North America, found across Canada and along the coasts and inland waterways of the United States. The river otters’ range has been significantly reduced due to habitat loss, a process that began with the European colonization of the Americas. Additionally, river otter populations suffered substantial declines from over-harvesting during the fur trade, a major economic activity in North America until the mid-19th century. The excessive trapping of river otters for their valuable pelts had a devastating effect on their numbers. Historically found in all watersheds in New York State, unregulated harvest, pollution, and habitat destruction decimated populations. The North American river otter was regionally extinct in Western New York in the early 1900s.
In 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed protecting our lakes, rivers, and watersheds from pollution, prioritizing the cleaning up the nation’s streams, lakes, and rivers. This cleared the way to bring back species that were extirpated from Western New York, including the North American river otter.
Bringing Otters Back
In the late 1990s, the New York River Otter Project was launched to restore river otters to the watersheds of western New York. Volunteers and staff from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) live-trapped otters primarily from the Adirondacks, with additional animals captured from the Catskills and Hudson Valley. New York State was committed to reintroduce only otters from New York State, whereas other programs sourced
otters from Louisiana and Missouri. While all North American river otters look similar, there are several subspecies of otters throughout the world. State officials and scientists sought to keep the same subspecies of otters for translocation as they were well adapted for weather and other environmental conditions specific to
New York State.
Seneca Park Zoo played a key role in the River Otter Project. All otters released in Western New York were first housed at the Zoo. Animal Health teams and veterinary staff provided exams and testing and placed transponders for nearly 280 animals. The transponders would allow scientists to track the otter for up to a year to determine survival and location.
Between 1995 and 2000, otters were relocated from eastern New York and released at 16 sites throughout the western part of the state including the Finger Lakes and Genesee River. Many of these areas had been without otter populations for longer than local residents could recall.
A 30-Year Project
Thirty years later, our work continues; it takes decades and generations of the species to know whether efforts to repatriate a species have been successful for the long term.
In our last issue of ZooNooz, we highlighted the Zoo’s Urban Ecologist team using eDNA technology to test watersheds around the Genesse River for the presence of North American river otters. This cutting-edge technology allows the Urban Ecologists to collect
water samples, and then have scientists test the water for remnants of otters.
The good news: river otter DNA was found at nearly every site we tested, and we confidently say that North American River Otters have returned to Western New York.
Written by Beth LaPierre, Director of Communications and Engagement.
