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It is with bittersweet emotions that Zoo Miami recently announced the passing of “Kara,” Zoo Miami’s senior giant river otter.
On Jan. 14, Kara was observed being abnormally lethargic and depressed. The Animal Health Team was called in to perform a close examination. Under anesthesia, the examination revealed that Kara was experiencing a variety of geriatric issues that were resulting in organ failure with no reasonable path for treatment or cure. This led to the difficult decision to not wake her up and humanely euthanize her to prevent any further suffering.
Though it was certainly sad to have to say goodbye to this remarkable and beautiful animal, Zoo Miami is proud to have been her home since her arrival from the Philadelphia Zoo in 2008 where she was born in March 2005. At nearly 20 years old, Kara was the oldest giant river otter not only at Zoo Miami, but in the entire country.
With a normal lifespan of 8 to 13 years in the wild and up to 17 years under human care, Kara far exceeded those metrics. More importantly, during her time at Zoo Miami, she gave birth to 27 pups making a huge contribution to the care, understanding, and conservation of these endangered animals. She was a great mother and her legacy lives on with her offspring that are now residing at other zoos around the country.
Giant river otters are the longest of the world’s 13 otter species with males reaching a length of 6 feet and a weight of approximately 75 pounds. These endangered animals are commonly called “River Wolves” in their native habitat within isolated areas of freshwater lakes, rivers, creeks, and reservoirs in tropical South America. Their numbers have been drastically reduced due to fur hunting and habitat destruction. In the wild they feed mainly on fish but have also been known to eat caiman and snakes where they can be found in family groups of 10 to 20 animals.
Zoo Miami annually supports Proyecto Arirahnas (The Giant Otter Project) in Brazil dedicated to strengthening the conservation and the ecosystem of the species.
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