In February, two North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) escaped from a zoo in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The two semi-aquatic meat slinkies, a pair named Louie and Ophelia, got away through a gap in their enclosure's fencing. Now we see the female has been recaptured - but the otter critter is still on the loose. 

Ophelia the escaped zoo otter is back home but Louie remains elusive — perhaps in search of a mate.

The two North American river otters escaped two weeks ago from the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ophelia was captured Friday night, the zoo said in a Facebook post.

Otters are quick, intelligent, inquisitive animals. Back in my childhood home in Allamakee County, Iowa, we used to see them pretty regularly. In summer they would sometimes have juveniles in tow, and my folks didn't begrudge them the occasional trout, as they normally preyed more on the slower-moving suckers and creek chubs. In winter, they would slide down the hillside in the snow to splash into the cold, spring-fed creek, their dense waterproof fur making them comfortable even then.

We enjoyed them too much for me to ever turn my trapline skills on them; raccoons my folks wanted to keep in check, but we encouraged the otters.

Now, this Wisconsin otter, still on the lamb, may well have gone native. They are indigenous to that area, and Louie may well have found a pawsitively irresistible lady otter somewhere in the area. But Ophelia, on the otter hand, she's back in captivity.

Her return was kept under wraps until Tuesday while she was held for observation. A veterinarian’s examination Monday cleared her for return to her enclosure. 

However, she “may not always be visible to guests,” the zoo said. “Ophelia has always been a bit shy and enjoys tucking into things to take naps throughout the day.”

The mammals escaped through a hole in a fence during a snow storm. 

Louie remains on the lam. “This is otter breeding season and we expect that, as a male otter, Louie is likely ranging a bit further from home than Ophelia did.”

Louie and Opheila, it seems, were not made for each otter after all. There was apparently no "stay together" claws in their contract. And since there are likely other otters in the area, Louie has a lot of otter opportunities, and since he's out on the loose, he doesn't have to weasel out of his current relationship, in which we're not even sure if the mink is dry.

Zoo escapes are often serious business. Some animals escape into an environment to which they're unsuited; while an otter escaping from a Wisconsin zoo in winter can survive comfortably if it can find open water containing fish, many other animals would not; any tropical animal escaping under similar circumstances would likely die very quickly. Whatever lapse in maintenance and security allowed Louie and Ophelia to escape, we would hope, has been rectified by now. The next escape may be more serious otterwise.

See Also: Mother and Child Attacked by Otter - Wildlife Officials Otterly Amazed

Nefarious Japanese Shoe Thief Caught on Camera - Authorities Astounded

Wherever Louie is, we hope he's in good company. Life's otter with friends.

You otter know I really enjoyed writing this.

I'll show myself out.

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