Spring is in the air, again, at the Buffalo Zoo. The zoo on Wednesday announced a litter of North American river otter pups was born in late February.
A male and a female pup were born on February 28 to mother, 11-year-old Ellie, and father, 9-year-old Rascal. This is the second litter of pups born to the otter pair, with their first litter born in 2014.
Keepers have named the new pups Luke and Leia, in homage to the famous on-screen siblings. They were introduced to their exterior habitat on May 2.
The zoo says conservation efforts in the 1990s have brought the North American river otter population to a stable status in the wild, after being on the verge of extinction.
Making this announcement about the pups on a day that has become known as "Star Wars Day," the zoo quoted the popular social media expression “May the 4th be with you.”
Zoo patrons can see the new pups from 10 a.m. to noon daily, weather permitting. Just last week, the zoo announced the birth of an African lion cub.
