|
Hydrophobic
giant otter babies up for diving course at the orphanage
"When
they’re little, they’re afraid of water and paddle around awkwardly
like young puppies," says Diane McTurk. At her Karanambu ranch in
the south-west of Guyana, the animal lover teaches orphaned giant otters
to swim and dive, getting them ready for real life out in the wild. Yet
despite all efforts the outcome is at times tragic...
By
Bernhard Grdseloff (C) 2005 |
 |
|
"The
cubs run the greatest risk when they meet adult otters" explains
McTurk. "Time and again, male otters kill young species of the same
sex out in the river." The rancher lost four of her fosterlings
that way, and another two fell victims to caimans. Mind you, out of 37
webbed orphans she’s brought up so far, that’s not such a bad
failure rate at all.
The
baby otters are hardly a few weeks old when they come to Karanambu.
"Sometimes the mother leaves them back, or she dies," McTurk
presumes. She accommodates the pipsqueaks in her bathroom, bottle-feeds
them and gives them bits of fish to eat. One person at the ranch does
nothing else all day but catch fish for these moustached pupils.
The
giant otters express their gratitude in their own special way: "Some
of my babies return to the river bank each year to visit me, and their
whole family comes along too," the foster-mum tells us. A slightly
scary experience for guests staying at Karanambu Lodge - grown to their
full size, these ‘babies’ are a good two meters long, and their
teeth are as sharp as a jaguar’s. |
Karanambu-Lodge:
Diane Mc Turk with giant otter baby |
