Rare giant otter arrives at Chester Zoo in attempt to help save species from extinction
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA rare species of otter is one of the newest animals at Chester Zoo - and it’s hoped his arrival will help save his species from extinction.
Three-year-old giant otter Manú has travelled more than a thousand miles from Budapest Zoo to join a very important conservation project at the UK zoo, which is now one of the largest in the world with more than 37,000 animals.
Native to South America and regarded as the world’s largest species of otter, there are thought to be less than 5,000 giant otters now remaining in the wild. READ MORE: Bluey joins CBeebies and CBBC stars at Gloworm children's festival near Manchester this summer Giant otters, which can weigh up to 30kg on average, are highly endangered and have already been declared extinct in Uruguay and Argentina.
Manú’s arrival comes after he was identified as having a ‘perfect’ genetic match to Chester Zoo’s giant otter Tibiri. It is hoped, as part of the international conservation programme, that the pair will have pups together in the near future.
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