Zoo puts down two otters over health conditions

4 hours ago

Shannen HeadleyWest Midlands

News image — Otters Starsky and Hutch were born at the zoo in 2015 and had lived there their whole lives

Hoo Zoo Two otters pictured in a zoo habitat, with greenery and rocks — Otters Starsky and Hutch were born at the zoo in 2015 and had lived there their whole lives

Two Asian small-clawed otters have been put down by a Telford zoo due to long standing health conditions with their kidneys.

Starsky and Hutch, born at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in 2015, were both under ongoing medical treatment - but Starsky went into sudden kidney failure on Friday.

The zoo said it made the decision to let the male otters go "peacefully together" after "careful consideration" and taking and veterinary advice.

Posting about it on Facebook, it said: "The pair were deeply bonded, and due to Hutch's advanced age and health issues, it would not have been realistic or possible to find him a new companion."

The zoo said the decision to put both otters down was not taken lightly and was made with "love, compassion and their welfare at the heart of it".

Otters cannot live solitary lives, said the zoo, and said it had been unsuccessful in finding a potential future mate for several months due to their health issues and advancing age.

After posting about the otters, the zoo received comments from people, raising concerns about euthanising both animals.

But the zoo responded that a post-mortem of the otters showed that Hutch's health was set to take a downturn very soon.

'Spared of suffering'

They wrote: "The decision was discussed extensively with zoo management and our specialist vets.

"It was based on facts, not emotions. Otters are a species that cannot easily, if at all, live solitarily. It results in severe behavioural issues including self mutilation - regardless of what steps are put in place."

"However, regardless of all this, when a post mortem was conducted on both boys, it was found that Hutch had the early stages of an aggressive form of lymphoma which would have killed him within a matter of weeks.

"Therefore this decision actually spared him any further suffering.

The zoo said Starsky and Hutch would be "hugely missed" by keepers and visitors.

It wrote: "Thank you for all the joy, mischief, and memories, boys. Rest peacefully together."

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