Pat McCafferty, age 13, of Santa Ana, California, for his question:
Do otters make good pets?
Without a doubt, every young person should have a pet of his or her very own. But choosing the right one calls for a lot of thoughtful planning, also family consultations plus a sizeable helping of good sense. Naturally, a pet pony does not belong in a small apartment and it's not fair to take goldfish on a camping trip. And, naturally, many possible pets should be left in the wild because they cannot be comfortable in human habitations.
The charming otter is a creature of the wilds and there are reasons why we should leave him out there in the wide world of nature. He is one of the most energetic and said to be one of the most playful of all the four footed mammals. Such frisky activities need complete freedom to roam. An otter needs miles of fresh flowing water and more miles to wander from one stream to the next.
Naturally this frolicsome, freedom loving fellow could not last very long in a cage. Besides, he tends to be very shy and highly suspicious of humans. What's more, providing a captive otter with his usual menu would keep a pet owner occupied every day from dawn to dusk. So with no ifs, ands or maybes, we must say that an otter is NOT a suitable pet.
Some nature books report that a few persons have made partial friends of wild otters, but this is very rare. Also, a few deserted otter cubs have been taken and reared in captivity, though these were returned to the wild after a few weeks. Zoos and other animal confines may keep otters, though they must be provided with very large and varied enclosures, similar to their natural wild habitats.
To see an otter in the wild you have to be patient and silent. The most likely lookout is in the secretive greenery beside a solitary stream. If by chance there are otters in the neighborhood, you might, just might be lucky.
A mother otter and her frisky cubs sometimes give themselves away by their merry antics. They love to toboggan on their tummies down the slippery bank of a stream and plop into the water. Then out they scramble, up the bank and down again. One by one the merry family follows the leader plop plop plop.
From time to time the wise mother surfaces her head and surveys the surrounding scenery. If she suspects a human observer, the playful performers disappear in a jiffy. This time they enter the water in silence, without leaving a ripple. The family swims under water to enter their burrow.
Otters are mainly carnivorous, though they eat a few vegetables. Their favorite food is fish and few fishes are spry enough to escape a pursuing otter swimming, twisting and turning under water. The otter drags his catch ashore to dine. Then chances are he travels over land to catch his next meal in another stream, which may be several miles away. True, he would make a most charming pet, but let's admit that we could never give him the wonderful free life he has in the wilds.