"While otters might seem like born naturals in the water, even they need to be taught the basics in the early stages of their lives," a zookeeper said.
Every baby needs swimming lessons, even these five newborn otter pups at a British zoo.
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Five 10-week-old Asian short clawed otter pups headed to the pond for the first time, with their mom and dad otter, Annie and Wallace, following closely in tow.
"While otters might seem like born naturals in the water, even they need to be taught the basics in the early stages of their lives," zookeeper Fiona Howe from the Chester Zoo said in a statement. "Learning to swim is a real family effort."
That is precisely why the first-time parents could be spotted grabbing their babies by the scruffs of their necks, and dropping them into the deep end. Of course, they stayed close enough to scoop their babies out of the water when they needed it.
"All five of them are getting to grips with the water really, really quickly," Howe said.
The babies' first swimming lesson was also the first time they emerged from their dam after being born in July.
Annie, a 3-year-old otter, and Wallace, a 4-year-old otter, were introduced as a part of the zoo's breeding efforts to conserve the species.
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According to the Chester Zoo, all five of the otter pups are healthy and on their way to becoming well-developed otters.
"Annie and Wallace are first-time parents but they’re doing a fab job," Howe said.
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