Celebration at New Forest Wildlife Park as the UK's only breeding pair of smooth-coated otters welcome cubs

In a conservation victory for one of the world's most threatened otter species, New Forest Wildlife Park has announced the birth of two male smooth-coated otter cubs from the only successful breeding pair in the United Kingdom.

Born on 7th December 2025, the cubs strengthen the genetic pool for smooth-coated otters, whose wild populations have plummeted 30% over the past three decades, with another 30% decline predicted by 2054.

Unlike the park's giant otter programme, which benefits from multiple breeding facilities across Europe, smooth-coated otters face a precarious future in managed care. The New Forest Wildlife Park is home to seven individuals, which is more than a third of the nation's entire population of this vulnerable species.

"We're not just celebrating two healthy cubs," says Jason Palmer, Curator.  "We're contributing to the genetic diversity for a species that's vanishing from Southeast Asian waterways at an alarming rate. With only our pair successfully breeding in the UK, these births carry the weight of the UK’s conservation programme."

The cubs are thriving under care from parents Soriah (11) and Song (13), plus siblings Anupa, Ananda (both 7), and particularly energetic one-year-old Banhhea.

"Females are dominant and mum runs this romp," says Lizzy McNamara, Senior Keeper. "But everyone pitches in with babysitting, teaching swimming, exploring together. Even Anupa, the spoilt mummy's boy, now gives his fish to Soriah while she's nursing."

The "strong cubs" took their first swim on 23rd January and passed their health checks at the end of January, which was described as a "very noisy" affair where one cub urinated on keepers in classic otter fashion. 

In collaborative conservation work, keepers have been documenting the cubs' weekly growth since they were just 12 days old, sharing detailed measurements and photographs with our various contacts in Southeast Asia.

When confiscated or orphaned otter cubs arrive at rescue centres that have often been seized from wildlife traffickers, discovered abandoned or found after their mothers were killed for fur,  knowing their exact age can mean the difference between life and death. The New Forest data provides crucial benchmarks for nutrition, care and development that help give wild cubs their best chance of survival and eventual release.

This work helps to tackle a growing crisis as social media videos of otters as pets drive illegal wildlife trade demand, with "cute" content normalising wild animals in domestic settings. The park supports Share Savvy, an initiative educating social media users to spot and report harmful wildlife content that fuels trafficking.

Families visiting during the February half-term can watch the cubs exploring their naturalistic enclosure alongside their protective family group.

For opening times and admission information, visit www.newforestwildlifepark.co.uk

Images provided by visitor Helen Pinchin