Otter pair gets new home at North Carolina aquarium. See them frolicking under water
Two otters are settling into a North Carolina aquarium — and already are making a splash.
A video shows Milli and Binx jumping into a pool before frolicking under water. The pair is known as the “new ‘it’ couple” at the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
“Milli and Binx immediately began swimming in the pools in their Otters on the Edge habitat,” Shannon Anderson, lead otter keeper, told McClatchy News in a Feb. 3 email. “They are sticking together whether twirling in the water or ducking under a ledge that was also a favorite spot for the previous otter family.”
The two animals are exploring their habitat after getting to know each other behind the scenes, where they were seen “scampering together, sharing shells and twirling in their pools.” Their new space has a “waterfall to slide down” and a pond for swimming, the aquarium wrote in a news release.
The two are Asian small-clawed otters, considered a “vulnerable” species due to habitat loss, poaching and other dangers.
Milli arrived at the aquarium in 2024 from Hong Kong, where officials confiscated her parents. Binx, who had been living in Florida, was transferred to the North Carolina aquarium to be her mate.
“Because Milli is from Hong Kong, her genetics offer a rare opportunity for breeding a species whose parents are from the wild,” the aquarium wrote, adding that the pair’s future offspring could help the otter population stay genetically diverse.
Milli and Binx are adjusting to their new home after the aquarium’s previous otter pair, Leia and Quincy, welcomed six babies. Several of the family members are now living at the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro.
“Welcoming Milli and Binx to the otter program at the aquarium is very important to our mission and no doubt they will also capture the hearts of the community,” Anderson wrote in the news release. “As with Leia and Quincy, we are focusing our daily work on the long-term goals of saving this species.”
The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher is in Kure Beach, near popular coastal destinations and a roughly 15-mile drive south from Wilmington. Visitors who want to see Milli and Binx in person will have to wait, given the two are scheduled to be off exhibit Feb. 4.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Otter pair gets new home at North Carolina aquarium. See them frolicking under water."
