Rosario, the giant otter, has made an international move from the Los Angeles Zoo to Argentina and faces the monumental task of helping rebuild the country’s sea otter population as it has become extinct there.
The transplant of the 8-year-old giant otter and her male partner, a giant otter from a European zoo, is part of a special breeding program led by Rewilding Argentina, the Corrientes government and the Argentine National Parks Administration.
“This project marks many firsts,” said Sebastián Di Martino, conservation director of Rewilding Argentina. “It is the first time in history that humans have reintroduced the giant otter and the first time that an extinct mammal has been reintroduced to Argentina.”
The project also includes two other breeding pairs, whose offspring will be released into the wild in the Iberá National Park, located in the northeastern province of Corrientes. The national park covers almost 395,000 hectares and is part of the Iberá Park, which also includes the Iberá Provincial Park, which covers 1.3 million hectares.
“The LA Zoo has a long history of providing care, welfare and husbandry for giant otters, and I am pleased that Rosario is helping ensure the return of her species to Argentina,” said Candace Sclimenti, curator of mammals at the Los Angeles Zoo. said.
Los Angeles Zoo
Two animal care experts from the zoo flew with Rosario to Argentina. She is currently in quarantine to ensure the safety of the other sea otters in the program.
Once the quarantine is complete, she will be transported to a species-specific corral on the shores of the Paraná Lagoon on San Alonso Island in the Iberá National Park.
The kraal is located in a forest area with plant cover and a wetland area. Experts say the reintroduction of the giant otter, an apex predator, will help rebalance the water and land ecosystem.
