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The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) community is mourning the loss of one of their oldest otters.
The aquarium announced that Asta, their oldest Asian small-clawed otter, passed away peacefully on Wednesday at the age of 17-and-a-half years old, under the care of the NCAFF otter team and veterinarians.
The team was closely monitoring Asta’s health and when age-related conditions progressed to a point where her comfort could not be ensured, the aquarium team decided to humanely euthanize her.
Making it to 17, let alone 17 and half, is a momentous feat Asta left behind, as she had exceeded the life expectancy of this species in professional care, which is 12 to 15 years.
Asta was with the NCAFF since 2020, and is known for how she twirled in the pool and showed so much devotion to her son, Ray, according to the aquarium. The two were inseparable in their habitat.
Juggling pebbles and shells were among Asta’s favorite pastimes, along with snuggling on a log or tucked into a hollowed-out log with Ray.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Asta, an otter beloved by us and the community.” said Joanna Zazzali, NCAFF director. “We are grateful for the outpouring of support and love for her which has been comforting to us at the Aquarium.”
NCAFF is among other zoos and aquariums caring for Asian small-clawed otters through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program. Asian small-clawed otters are native to Indonesia, southern China, southern India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines.
They are the smallest of the otter species and are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Population numbers are declining because of several threats, including residential and commercial development, deforestation, the illegal pet trade, pollution, climate change and poaching.
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