Remembering Sam the Otter
We’re deeply saddened to share that our beloved Asian small-clawed otter, Sam, passed away yesterday (Sunday 23 November).
Sam was born at WWT Washington in 2016. Growing up, he spent time at some of our other sites, including WWT London, before being paired with Tilly. In their time together, they had two small litters and were a bonded pair for seven years.
Sam and Tilly arrived at WWT Slimbridge in summer 2023. They joined us from New Forest Wildlife Park on Thursday 27 July, and were first released into their new enclosure on Saturday 29 July.
It was here that he found his feet with us, and with Tilly. Bigger, bolder and more confident, Tilly was definitely the leader of the pair, with Sam following her for support and guidance. Sam had a lovely temperament; he was quieter and more shy than Tilly, but he was observant and clever, and loved exploring his surroundings, diving for food and saying hello to visitors.
At the time of his passing, Sam was 9 years old. Unfortunately, Sam had a known history of kidney issues, and over the last 24 hours, we saw Sam’s condition deteriorate. After being checked over by our brilliant in-house veterinary team, we sought a second opinion externally at Vale Vets in Dursley. There, tests showed that Sam’s kidneys had deteriorated - which is a common ailment for Asian small-clawed otters. He had also picked up a secondary infection.
He was in a lot of pain and not showing any signs of improvement, so we made the decision to put him to sleep. We’re grateful that he was not suffering for long, and is now resting peacefully.
Thank you to our in-house vet team, as well as Vale Vets, who were incredibly accommodating and supportive during this difficult time. Sam was well cared for by our Living Collections team, who work hard to maintain a high level of welfare for all our animals. He was also well loved by everyone who visited him. We know he will leave a lasting impression on us all.
Tilly is a confident and strong character, and in the short-term we don’t have concerns about her living alone. Otters are social animals though, so in the longer term, we’ll assess our options and make a plan with Tilly’s best interests at heart.
