Zoo welcomes new otter pups and launches vote to name them

Three otter pups have received their first health checks at a city zoo.

Members of the public are being asked to vote on names for the trio after the checks revealed they are two boys and a girl.

The three Asian small-clawed otters were born on January 16 at Edinburgh Zoo and still spend most of the time in their holts, but are expected to start exploring their enclosure in the next few weeks.

Keepers have drawn up a shortlist of names for the new arrivals which will be put to a public vote on the zoo’s Facebook page.

Andrew Laing, senior animal keeper at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo, said: “We are delighted to welcome Barry and Luna’s first litter, who are all doing well so far.

“There are three sets of names we are asking our supporters to choose from: Kadassa, Malang and Han which are the names of rivers in Asia; Nadi, Sungai and River, which are words that mean river; or Eden, Clyde and Garry which are the names of Scottish rivers.”

He added: “When Barry and Luna arrived last year, they were quite shy but bonded very quickly and love blossomed. This is the first time the pair have bred and they are already adapting to their new roles as parents brilliantly.

“At just nine weeks old, the pups are still dependent on mum and are spending most of their time in their underground holts. Lucky visitors might be able to see them exploring their enclosure and learning more about their surroundings in the coming weeks.”

The zoo recently reopened to Edinburgh residents with a host of added safety measures and people must pre-book tickets before their visit.