These videos are otter-ly adorable! Watch these cute otters, named Lincoln, Sushi, and Juno, playing basketball as part of their enrichment exercises at the Oregon Zoo. You can see them twirling while holding the ball, passing balls, and doing slam dunks. They make shot after shot with several different kinds of balls, and get rewarded with treats for their efforts!
The Oregon Zoo explains that these exercises help keep the otters active and create stronger bonds with the staff who care for them. They also provide additional information about the benefits of these hoop games:
While the sea otter shoot-around is mostly an enrichment exercise now, veterinarians say it could have additional health benefits as the young otters get older, staving off stiffness and arthritis in their senior years. The movements mimic a natural behavior called a "spy hop," in which wild sea otters will rise straight up out of the ocean to survey their surroundings above the waves.
To see more of these cuties, plus the other critters at the Oregon Zoo, follow their TikTok.
