Security footage proves these slippery escapees are having a blast in the snow
Two mischievous North American river otters named Louie and Ophelia have turned their escape from Wisconsin’s NEW Zoo & Adventure Park into a winter spectacle, delighting onlookers with their snowy antics while evading capture for nearly a week.
The slippery pair made their getaway last week after enlarging a small hole in their enclosure’s buried fence during a winter storm.
Security footage captured the otters gleefully belly-sliding across the snow—a signature otter move—with their tracks revealing frequent returns to the zoo’s perimeter and explorations of nearby ponds and streams.
“It’s the undeniable ‘bounce, bounce, sliiiiide’ of the otter,” the zoo joked in a Facebook post, sharing footage of one otter launching into a perfect snow slide.
Zookeepers remain hopeful the duo will return on their own, noting that as territorial animals, Louie and Ophelia are likely to stay close. The zoo emphasised that the otters, native to the region, are well-equipped to survive in the wild with access to local waterways for food and shelter.
The search continues, but for now, Wisconsin’s runaway otters are living their best winter adventure.
