Two-year-old otter makes a splash

Salmonier Nature Park fixed up a home for their otter on their 3km boardwalk trail

Melissa Wong

My Online Journalism Blog

Many tourists and locals were surprised to find an otter doing back flips in the water.

"We haven't had an otter now in close on 10 years," Sarah, Salmonier Nature Park employee, said. "So, we finally fixed her enclosure."

The otter's natural enclosure along the boardwalk trail is finally open. It has been closed for close to 10 years. My Online Journalism Blog/Melissa Wong

According to Sarah, the barrier to the otter's natural enclosure along the 3 km boardwalk trail was broken by ice. The employees had to fix it so the young otter could meet the public.

"She is a two-year-old and her name is Tullulah," Sarah said.

Tullulah is one of the animals at the nature park that is no longer able to survive in the wild. Another such animal is a bald eagle that cannot fly.

"We always try to put our animals through our rehab program and always send them back into the wild if they are able to," Sarah said. "Unfortunately, there are some cases that you have to keep the animal because they cannot hunt anymore or survive on their own."

Sarah said she could not give her last name because the park is part of the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador. She said the government does not allow them to give their last names for privacy reasons and that formal interviews must be sanctioned by the department.   

Tullulah, the otter, swims out to meet a group of people that arrived at her enclosure. She is looking up at a group of people before doing a back flip in the water. My Online Journalism Blog/Melissa Wong

According to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s website, Salmonier Nature Park is open seven days a week between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (gates close at 3 p.m.) from Labour Day to Thanksgiving. From June 1 to Labour day, the park is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (with gates closing at 5 p.m.). It also said  Salmonier Nature Park opened in 1978 on the Salmonier Line (Route 90) 12 km, on the Avalon Peninsula. It operated as a centre for environmental education, wildlife rehabilitation, research, environmental monitoring and later it became a tourist attraction for the province.

While some animals in the park hideaway from visitors, Tullulah comes out to swim around for her guests. She will do back flips or even flip a fish into the air for her audience. 

"She is super playful," Sarah added. "She loves humans because she was raised by us."

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