Otter Experience at Melbourne Zoo - excl. entry

I’d like to start by making a special mention of the experience host, Moz (? Mos) and the keeper, Eden. The way that they ran the experience had me leaving Melbourne Zoo with a smile on my face. In terms of what one does on the experience: firstly, it’s not a meet and greet with the animals nor do you get to touch them. Zoos Victoria is diligent about trying to reflect animals’ natural habitats and behaviour in the wild. To keep with the hunting and foraging, which otters would do in the wild, group members were handed some gloves and buckets of cut up fish to mix into boxes with straw. Boxes are placed in the enclosures for the otters to sniff out and search for the food. Eden and Moz then spoke about otters in general and the dynamics of the group or pack. I thought both staff did a fantastic job of answering questions. Their wealth of knowledge was reflected in their responses. After the animal rich experience, participants were taken around the back of the habitat ( not accessible through general entry tickets) to throw some food (cooked peas and corn and bits of fish) for the otters. They’re then released from their enclosures out the back into the habitat where the public can watch them eating. Apart from the enthusiasm, knowledge and professionalism that Moz and Eden brought with them to the experience, the thing that I loved most was the hands on nature of the experience. Specifically, that apart from taste it used 4 out of 5 senses. Altogether it made for both a fun AND educational experience.