Wisconsin zoo: Escaped otter 'made the decision' to be wild
The New Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay previously revealed two otters, Louie and Ophelia, escaped from their enclosure during a snowstorm March 20.
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(Photo credit: New Zoo & Adventure Park/Facebook)
June 5 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin zoo announced it has called off the search for an otter on the loose since March, explaining the animal "has made the decision to be a wild otter."
The New Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay previously revealed two otters, Louie and Ophelia, escaped from their enclosure during a snowstorm March 20.
Ophelia was recaptured and returned to the zoo April 2, but Louie has proved to be more elusive.
"At no point during his time away has Louie been spotted (and reported to us) repeatedly in the same yard or waterway, which is what would have been required to set traps to bring him home," the zoo said on social media. "We did, however, receive enough reports of sightings in similar areas that lead us to believe that he is healthy and surviving well."
The zoo said Louie was born in the wild and is believed to have all of the skills and instincts he would need to survive on his own.
"We expect that he's doing just fine out there," the post said.
The zoo said it is working with the North American River Otter Species Survival Plan to try to find a new mate for Ophelia.
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