I12 B R E E D I N G

Further observations on the Oriental short-clawed otter

at Aberdeen Zoo Amblonyx cinerea

GEORGE L E S L I E Manager, Aberdeen Zoological Garden, Aberdeen, Scotland

On 7 December 1966 a five-year-old male Oriental short-clawed otter Amblonyx cinerea, called ‘Koko’ was donated to Aberdeen Zoo.fIn March 1967, he was joinedpy a female, ‘Ovaltine’. Both animals were imprinted on human beings, and it was doubtful if they would be compatible with one another. However, mating took place as soon as they were introduced and, in July 1967, ‘Ovaltine’ gave birth to a cub, which did not survive infancy. In February 1968, a second cub uas born, and in October of the same year a third - neither-of whichsurvived. I was beginning to give1up hope of ever having a complete otter family on my hands when, in March 1969 ‘Ovaltine’ gave‘birtxto:two-more cubs.

On previous occasions she had proved a very negligent mother. After the birth of her first young, the only interest she had taken in it was when a group of visitors was around the en- closure. Then she would1pick up the cuxby the scruff of theyneck and take it up to the edge of the enclosure, where she would display it to the visitors. Father ‘Koko’ would immediately retrieve-his young and carry it back to the security of the1nesting box - and, indeed, he provedithe better;of theiparents. The second cub survived only 15 minutes, while ‘Ovaltine’ refused to1suckle the third.

When the two cubs were born in March 1969, we decided to attach screens right round the cnclosure, and to leave the animals severely alone. Apart from cleaning out the soiled straw, and putting in food, no one went near the otters for three months. By that time, it was noted that the youngsters were not only alive, but thriving. This time ‘Ovaltine’ had accepted her offspring - aqd by some inexplicable changelof character that had taken place behind the closed screens - had turned into a ‘model mother’.

Hitherto, the otters had been kept in indoor quarters at a temperature of I S O C (65O~). I then

decided to move them out of doors, into a large grassy enclosure measuring I I x 9 m (36 x 30 ft), complete with a pool measuring 6 x z m (20 x 6 ft) and sleeping quarters in the form of an ark z x 1 ~ 1 q m ( 6 ~ 3 ~ 4 f t ) . The ark wasentered by a 1.5 x 0.3 m square (5 ft longx I ft square) L-shaped tunnel, while the interior was insulated with five bales of hay.

I did not know how these animals from Malaya would thrive in a Scottish climate - especially during the winter - but they took to the outdoors like hardy natives. And there was a visible improvement in their appearance through being in the open air all the time.

The long grass and the trees in the enclosure gave them plenty of opportunity for hide-and- seek, one of the many games they started to play as a family group. They explored every nook and C ~ M Y of their new surroundings with the notable exception of the pool. Both parents had always shown a dislike of water - which is strange because, in their natural environment, these otters are as aquatic as their European counterparts.

However, one day, when all four were sitting with their backs to me, facing the pool, I leant over the fence and with a broom handle tipped them all gently into the water. The shock treat- ment had results. The pool became their favourite play place; and their most frequent game be- came that of sliding down the embankment one after another into the pool, then through the water, out the other side and back down the ‘chute’ once more.

Atthough all four otters were friendly to human beings, we felt they were no longer imprinted, and had been weaned back gradually to something more akin to their natural state.

On 20 April 1970, ‘Ovaltine’ gave birth to three more cubs. As on previous occasions, she had given little sign of being pregnant, and so I was surprised when a lady visitor to the zoo came

BREEDING 1‘3

up to me that morning to say that there were three new-born cubs. When I reached the enclosure I discovered, to my dismay, that ‘Ovaltine’ had reverted to her former unmaternal behaviour. Instead of leaving the cubs in the nesting box she had been dragging them out, one by one, to display to the public, despite ‘Koko’s’ repeated attempts to keep them sheltered. I immediately got hold of the cubs, which were by now very cold, and carrying them under my

shirt for warmth took them back to the old indoor otter enclosure, where they were placed under an infra-red lamp. Their feeble squeaks gave me hope that they might survive. ‘Koko’ and ‘Oval- tine’ were put in beside them and screens were putIup. But next morning all three cubs were found dead, presumably from the ordeal of being dragged out by their mother into the cold immed- iately after birth.

Birth, development and behaviour of a fanaloka

at the National Zoological Park, Washington, DC Fossa fossa

C.fW EMMER National Zoological Park, Washington,‘DC, USA

INTRODUCTION The monotypic genus Fossa is one of seven endemic viverrid carnivores inhabiting Mada- gascar. Although the details of its anatomy reflect its relatively primitive heritage, in gross body form and behaviour the fanaloka Fossa fossa is remarkably fox-like, being the most digitigrade of true civets (see Figure I). Once fairly common in the humid forest zones (Rand, 1g35), the fanaloka is now apparently rare and destined for extinction if the felling of native forest continues.

Figure I. Three-day-old fanaloka Fossa fossa walking. (Drawing made from 8 mm film frame.)

The small mammal collection of the National Zoological Park has had a pair of adult fanalokas since 1966, when they were col1ected;by J. F. Eisen- berg near Ranomafana, Madagascar. Although no signsofpregnancyhad beennoticed, thefemalegave birth to a single male young on 7 July 1969. The

offspring was removed from its mother minutes after birth, when she was discovered standing on it and mouthing the head region in a manner reminiscent of feedingyon prey. The young was subsequently hand-reared by the author.

OBSERVATIONS For the first week the young animal was fed ; on Esbilac mixed withfwater in the proportions recommended for puppies, until it began vomit- ing and refused to:drink. This problem, which has arisen several times in the course of hand-rearing genets Genetta tigrina, was:solved by changing to a diet of milk mixedlwith raw egg yolk (I yolk to 4 cup of milk). ThkIdiet, along with weekly sup- plements of a children’s liquid vitamin, sustained the animal until weaning.

The advanced state:of development at birth, and the rapid’development of behaviour patterns in this individual is of particular interest. TG gether with the Spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, this species exhibits the most precocial state at birth within the order Carnivora. Table I com- pares‘the days‘of emergencerof severalibehavioural and morphological features in our hand-reared youngster with those in the altricial and closely related genet, skyof which have been hand-reared by the author under similar conditions. Like most other infant viverrids (He€oga€e is born naked, according to Zannier, 1965), the body wa