- i'm coyote peterson,and today, we'refeaturing the cutest guest that i think we'veever had on breaking trail. get ready to meetthe baby river otter. (adventurous music) - look at how cutethat baby otter is. - now, otters, as we know,are related to skunks, weasels, wolverines, and mink. - he actually reallylooks a lot like a mink, especially with this coat.
now, they are aquatic predators, and when i touch his fur,come here little guy. come here, hey, hey. can you hang out for a secondwhile we get these lines? just for a second, andthen you can go explore. let me see that bottle of milk. let's see if he'shungry. come here. now, this baby river otterwas recently orphaned, and the wildlife sanctuary thatwe're working with right now
has taken him in andis tending to him. hopefully, he'll be able to bereleased back into the wild, but, if not, he's going to have a very comfortable lifehere at the sanctuary. they are opportunistic feeders, so a little one like thiswould be drinking milk, but, when he gets biggerhe's going to want to be eating fish, snakes, frogs,anything that can find its way into that mouth is fair game.
still thirsty? wantsome more? there you go. and, you'll noticehow streamlined thisanimal's body is. they're incrediblycumbersome on land, but as soon as theyget into the water, they are lightning quick. i've had a lot ofpeople write in and say, "coyote, can you do anepisode with an otter?" and, i didn't thinkit would be possible because catching one in thewild is almost impossible.
but, we are so fortunate to have this little otter with us today, so hopefully you guysare enjoying get up close with a baby river otter. oh, he just splashedmilk right into my eye. hey, want somemore? are you done? i think he's done. he wants to go play inthe creek at this point. do you have milk onyour nose? let me see.
okay. i know, buddy. i know. how cute is this little otter? - [cameraman] what'sthe otter's name? - little orphan otter. - [cameraman]little orphan otter. are you going to givehim a proper name? - that is his proper name. his first name is little. his middle name is orphan.
his last name is otter. - [cameraman] i thoughtit was baby otter. - well, he's just baby otterbecause he's still a baby. even when he grows up, he'sgoing to be little orphan otter. - all right, well, you'vehad your bottle of milk. are you ready to go splasharound in the creek? i think he's ready. all right, you lead the way. (classical music)
- [coyote] exerciseis an important part of this baby otter'sdaily routine. so, taking a trek down tothe creek for a quick splash goes a long way forhis rehabilitationback into the wild. there you go. he's like, "i didn't realizethat the water was here." he's getting his feetwet. here he goes. and, he's off, right inhis natural environment. look at that. lookat that tail going.
now you look like alittle otter, don't you? (otter barks) yeah. all right. well, he splashed around inthe water for a little bit, but, now we get a littledry-off and he's talking to me. was that fun? (otter barks) was that fun playingaround in the water? yeah, oh, there yougo. look at that. scratch his belly. look athim scratching his belly. i think i've formed apretty good friendship
with this otter at this point. you having a good day? couple bottles of milk,splash around in the creek. now, it looks like you'regetting ready for your nap. curling up in a ball, scratchingyour face on the grass. it's a tough life beingan otter, you know. you stink, you knowthat? you stink. you absolutely stink,but i still love you. here's a littlebutt-scratch for you.
whoa, that feelsgood, doesn't it? whoa, that's the spot, isn't it? yeah, he loves that. and, feels good, huh? all right. i think he'sgetting kind of tired, and, at this point,he's ready for his nap. he has had a big bottle of milk and a good splashdown in the creek. so, we're goingto get him inside
so that he can have his rest. i'm coyote peterson. be brave. stay wild. we'll see you onthe next adventure. if you thought thatwas one wild adventure, check out the timethat i got up close with little orphanotter's feisty cousin, the american pine marten.
and, don't forget. subscribe to joinme and the crew on this season ofbreaking trail. (animal howls)