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Everyday Olive & Obi-Wan's aquatic acrobatics bring shouts of amazement, laughter and smiles to the faces of dozens of Nature Center visitors, both young and old! Seeing the otters playing is an experience that everyone can enjoy.The WNC Nature Center's otters, Olive & Obi-Wan, aren't just putting on a show for visitors. They are also playing for their own entertainment. The river otter is known for it's playful nature, with young pups--and even adults!--chasing each other throughout the water, sliding down waterfalls or wrestling on dry land. So when playing, Olive & Obi-Wan may be having more fun than the visitors!
That social nature is one of the many reasons why the Friends of the WNC Nature Center, thanks to a generous donation by Rennie Habel, funded the construction of Brandon's Otter Falls. This new expansion of the otter exhibit, made in memory of Rennie’s son Brandon Horne, gives Olive & Obi-Wan an entire new level to explore and play in. It also gives the couple more room for when they hopefully create a family of their own. If you absolutely love the otters you can even adopt one into your own family! By joining the Adopt-An-Animal program, you can become the Wild Parent of Obi-Wan, Olive or any other animal at the WNC Nature Center. As a wild Parent you can take home a plush animal, a guide to get to know your animal and even be part of our Wild Parents Day! The Friends of the WNC Nature Center thank you for your support and hope that you will take time to visit the otters & all of the other WNC Nature Center animals! (Image provided by the WNC Nature Center.)
Looking for more happenings in the area? Check out Asheville.com's comprehensive visitor center.
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Why do otters spend so much time playing when other animals loose that quality as they grow older? Part of the reason is how incredibly efficient otters are at hunting. River otters ambush their prey underwater while swimming at speeds up to almost 7 miles per hour! (To compare, Michael Phelps swims at an average of about 4.5 miles per hour.) That means that river otters don't need to spend as much time hunting and can spend more time playing. They are also very social animals and live together in family units or even groups of unrelated adults.