This past September the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab (NWR) reached out to the Crane Trust Science team to see if we would be interested in assisting with the soft release of a juvenile female North American river otter that was found in Grand Island, NE. She was found as an emaciated pup and was brought to NWR to receive the proper care. At Nebraska Wildlife Rehab she was given proper nutrition and started to learn some skills that she would have learned from her mother such as swimming. As she continued to grow at NWR she reached a point where she was healthy and exhibiting behaviors that she needed to survive in the wild. This led NWR staff to reach out to find a location to release the juvenile female otter back into the wild.
Both Will and I were able to assist NWR staff when they came out to set up the soft release enclosure. The soft release enclosure helps the otter to acclimate to her surroundings and be gradually introduced. Inside the enclosure was a pool, enrichment items from the surrounding area, the carrier and towels from when she traveled, and a drinking water dish. Food and water were given to her on a daily basis, and the pool in the enclosure was refilled every 2-3 days. We made sure to limit our time with her to only delivering food and water refill times so she would be able to become more independent and start lessening her reliance on humans. Support was slowly backed off, especially when the door was opened to the enclosure, allowing for her to move in and out of the enclosure to further acclimate to the area and forage for herself. She was monitored by using a trail cam that was placed in the enclosure. To learn more about the soft release process visit the Nebraska Wildlife Rehab site linked here.
Overall, it was a really cool experience where I got to see and interact (from a distance) for the first time with an otter. I did not realize how vocal and how many different vocalizations that otters have. During the enclosure set up she did not stop making some sort of noise. I could hear a difference when she saw one of the rehabilitators that worked directly with her, and the noise she made when she saw Will or I (unfamiliar people). A really cute moment that I got to see was when an opened milkweed pod was put in the enclosure with her for enrichment purposes. She immediately ran over to it and started sticking her face into the fluff. When she turned around there was milkweed fluff all over her nose and face. It was so cool to see her curious nature!
Till next time!
Emma Richards
Lila O. Wilson Biological Monitoring Fellow
Disclaimer
Otters are wild animals and require very specific care. You should not rehabilitate or keep any wild animals yourself. Using this website from NWR you can read more about why you should not rehabilitate or keep wild animals and find guides on what you should do when you find abandoned or injured wildlife. You should never touch abandoned wildlife without going through the appropriate guide first.
Wildlife Help Guide–Nebraska Wildlife Rehab (NWR)
Now to switch gears a little bit and talk about another critter which favors the shallow, spanning waters of the Platte River: the whooping crane!
Does anyone else miss the whooping cranes? I know I do! It’s hard to believe that only a few months ago, I saw my first-ever whooping cranes in the wild. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
Finding these two birds came with quite a story. Emma, Lila O. Wilson Fellow, and I were near the cranes’ last reported river location when we crossed paths with two local farmers. After asking them for permission to walk to the river, one of them casually stated that he “saw two cranes just outside his house” about a mile away. Excited and hopeful, we hopped back in the truck and headed toward his house. We were greeted by two stunning adult whooping cranes foraging in a corn field.
Once we confirmed the sighting and found a solid observation point, we could begin our whooping crane behavioral survey. These surveys involve observing and recording crane behavior for 30–40 minutes. Some of the most common behaviors we document include foraging (their primary activity in this sighting), walking, flying, loafing (resting without sleeping), preening and interactions with other cranes or wildlife.
Whooping crane behavioral surveys are important to understand the habits of these endangered birds. We conduct whooping crane behavioral surveys in the spring and the fall, in association with their migration. As I am sure many of you already know, the Central Platte River Valley is a unique part of the country where many major crane flyways merge together. This makes the Crane Trust in a perfect position to record the daytime behaviors of whooping cranes. Maybe this March we’ll see you out by the river, binoculars in hand, sharing the excitement of spotting these remarkable birds.
Will Hamson
Saunders Conservation Fellow
