Mammals
Birds
Amphibians
Reptiles
Geoff the otter returns to Durrell
Geoff, an Asian short-clawed otter that escaped from Durrell Wildlife Park last month, is back at the Park.
It was known to Durrell that Geoff was in the St Catherine’s Wood area for a while and keepers placed baits and scents to keep him interested in staying there. Keepers installed a camera trap onto a large trap and baited it with his favourite food, mussels and sardines.
Geoff the Otter's Big Adventure You may have heard about our adventurous otter Geoff that escaped from his enclosure last month. He has certainly grabbed the headlines here in Jersey!Well Geoff's big adventure has come to an end. Keepers have retrieved him and brought him back to the Durrell Wildlife Park, where he'll spend the next month in quarantine.Watch this video to learn all about Geoff's escapades.To learn more about our otter family, or to adopt Geoff's mum Bintang, please visit: https://www.durrell.org/adopt/short-clawed-otter/Thanks to 3C International for the GoPro footage.#DurrellTeam #Otter #Geoff
Posted by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on Monday, 11 January 2016
As it was important for him to feel secure going in and out of the trap, it was not set for several days. When keepers were confident that Geoff was using the trap regularly, it was then set and Geoff was very quickly secured. Shortly afterwards he was transported to the quarantine units at Durrell.
Head of Mammals, Dom Wormell says Geoff is in very good health at the moment. “I think it’s a good job we caught him when we did as the weather is due to get a lot colder over the coming week. Geoff is an Asian short-clawed otter, a very small species of otter, and he may well have struggled to survive over a cold Jersey winter.
Dom adds, “While St Catherine’s Woods did prove to be a great habitat for him, we could not leave him in that environment as he would have ultimately had an impact on the local wildlife that inhabit the woods. Also I don’t think the anglers that use the lake at the bottom would have been too pleased if he had taken up long-term residence in the area.”
Geoff will remain in quarantine for 30 days in case he picked up any infections while he was away from the Wildlife Park. After this, he will be reunited with other otters. However, remixing with the rest of the otter family at Durrell after so long away may be tricky. The dominant male, Geoff’s father, may treat him as a rival male.
Geoff may need to go to another wildlife park and Durrell is looking into the best options for him.
Durrell would like to thank all members of the public who kept us notified of Geoff’s movements and in particular the members of the Jersey Freshwater Angling Association who were very helpful and understanding.
It was known to Durrell that Geoff was in the St Catherine’s Wood area for a while and keepers placed baits and scents to keep him interested in staying there. Keepers installed a camera trap onto a large trap and baited it with his favourite food, mussels and sardines.
Geoff the Otter's Big Adventure You may have heard about our adventurous otter Geoff that escaped from his enclosure last month. He has certainly grabbed the headlines here in Jersey!Well Geoff's big adventure has come to an end. Keepers have retrieved him and brought him back to the Durrell Wildlife Park, where he'll spend the next month in quarantine.Watch this video to learn all about Geoff's escapades.To learn more about our otter family, or to adopt Geoff's mum Bintang, please visit: https://www.durrell.org/adopt/short-clawed-otter/Thanks to 3C International for the GoPro footage.#DurrellTeam #Otter #Geoff
Posted by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust on Monday, 11 January 2016
As it was important for him to feel secure going in and out of the trap, it was not set for several days. When keepers were confident that Geoff was using the trap regularly, it was then set and Geoff was very quickly secured. Shortly afterwards he was transported to the quarantine units at Durrell.
Head of Mammals, Dom Wormell says Geoff is in very good health at the moment. “I think it’s a good job we caught him when we did as the weather is due to get a lot colder over the coming week. Geoff is an Asian short-clawed otter, a very small species of otter, and he may well have struggled to survive over a cold Jersey winter.
Dom adds, “While St Catherine’s Woods did prove to be a great habitat for him, we could not leave him in that environment as he would have ultimately had an impact on the local wildlife that inhabit the woods. Also I don’t think the anglers that use the lake at the bottom would have been too pleased if he had taken up long-term residence in the area.”
Geoff will remain in quarantine for 30 days in case he picked up any infections while he was away from the Wildlife Park. After this, he will be reunited with other otters. However, remixing with the rest of the otter family at Durrell after so long away may be tricky. The dominant male, Geoff’s father, may treat him as a rival male.
Geoff may need to go to another wildlife park and Durrell is looking into the best options for him.
Durrell would like to thank all members of the public who kept us notified of Geoff’s movements and in particular the members of the Jersey Freshwater Angling Association who were very helpful and understanding.