For the first time ever, otters are living at the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown. Zoo officials hosted a grand opening for the Ottertown exhibit, as well as a new petting zoo area.
It’s a busy day at the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown.
In the new KidZoo area, near a big red barn, visitors can experience hands on interaction with critters from various corners of the animal kingdom: an American Alligator, Jersey cows, goats, donkeys, and a chinchilla that nine year old Oakely Wolkow tells me is very soft. He says he likes spending time inside the barn.
“My favorite animals are probably the two potbellied pigs. They’re just funny,” Wolkow says.
Wolkow is here with his mom, siblings, and cousin, and they’ve just finished watching a prairie dog take a bit of exercise on a hamster wheel.
Wolkow has also seen the otter exhibit, which he says is really cool. Zoo Director Dan Miller says he knew people would like the otters.
“Otters play their entire life,” Miller says. “They’re always active. They’re not laying in the back. They’re exciting. People come back and forth to see them. Plus their antics. They have great antics.”
The otters, Oliver and Darrel, show off some their antics during a training exercise with the zookeepers. The public can watch them take a swim thanks to the underwater viewing.
Miller says the otters are native to South Dakota. The animals in the big red barn are from many different places, but he says the kidzoo teaches visitors about South Dakota’s heritage.
“We’re an agricultural based community, and I think it enlightens them on the agricultural,” Miller says. “There aren’t a lot of people that live on the farms any more. Most people live out in the bigger cities. So it’s a chance to see them and explore South Dakota agriculture.”
Miller says it took about two years for the exhibit plans to become a reality. He says he hopes people walk away with a greater appreciation for nature, and little more joy.