Zoo seeks help with exhibit expansion

The New York State Zoo at Thompson Park is asking for public support as it works to complete a new otter exhibit. The zoo, along with the Watertown Daily Times, drive sponsor, is inviting people to join the Otter 400 Club.

"The goal is to get 400 people to donate a minimum of $50 each" to the project, said the zoo's executive director, John Scott Foster.

The money will help the zoo pay for costs associated with acquiring three otters to join its lone otter, Louie, who is on loan to the Wild Center at Tupper Lake until the exhibit space is completed. The funds also will help the zoo pay for food and any unexpected costs as the exhibit is fine tuned, Mr. Foster said.

Donors will be recognized on a sign at the exhibit and will receive certificates, he said.

Construction on the project, which is expected to open in March or April, is about one-third complete.

Otters are a favorite at zoos, Mr. Foster said, because "they're charismatic, they're cute and people like to watch them."

Otters once flourished in and around waterways throughout the country until water pollution and unsustainable rates of trapping drove their numbers down, he said. Otter fur includes outer and under coats that work together to keep the animals' skin dry, even in the water, Mr. Foster said. That has made them an appealing target for trappers, since otter fur "keeps you warm, too, if it's a coat," he said.

Regulated trapping and clean water rules helped the natural systems supporting otters to recover in recent years, he said. River otters always have flourished in the Adirondacks because of the clean water, he said.

Unlike some other zoo animals, otters allow the zoo to tell a hopeful story, Mr. Foster said.

"It's wonderful to show people that they can have a positive and significant impact on the environment," he said.

Several features of the new exhibit should make it attractive for visitors, Mr. Foster said. Glass walls will begin low enough to allow children to watch the animals, even from strollers, he said. An underwater viewing area also will be included.

Unlike many older otter exhibits throughout the country, this one will include a higher proportion of land to water, allowing visitors to view the animals at play in both areas. Otters naturally spend time on land and in the water, Mr. Foster said.

The 1,600 square feet of space will be enough to hold "four otters that don't like each other," Mr. Foster said, but the zoo's hope is to acquire two pairs that might reproduce. The pairs would take turns being rotated in and out of the exhibit area and a holding pen where they could relax, he said. Visitors would be treated to active animals during any part of the day.

Many local companies have donated materials and services or sold them at cost to the zoo to aid in the exhibit's construction, Mr. Foster said.

The building that will hold the water filtration system is "99 percent" complete, he said. The zookeeper's work space is complete, the foundation has been laid for the water features and concrete pads have been constructed for the otters' off-exhibit holding area. The next steps in construction include the pools and waterfall, acrylic exhibit front and landscaping, fencing and kennels.

The total cash expenditure will be about $300,000 for the project, Mr. Foster said.

"We're doing it very frugally, with an awful lot of support from the community," he said.