Beloved otter suddenly dies at Michigan zoo. He was an ‘excellent father and teacher’

A Michigan zoo is mourning the loss of an “excellent father and teacher” after an 18-year-old otter died from a sudden onset condition.

Lucius, an 18-year-old North American river otter, had been at the Detroit Zoo since 2009. There, he became “inseparable” with Whisker, a female otter, having multiple litters of pups.

He “was always patient with his pups, allowing them to pile on him during play,” the zoo said in a May 7 Facebook post.

The otter died as a result of Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV), commonly known as flipped stomach.

The condition causes the stomach to flip 180-degrees and is often fatal, according to a May 2021 study by Veterinary Record Case Reports.

GDV is commonly known to affect dogs, but it presents differently in otters, the study said.

Little is known about what causes otters to have the condition, according to researchers.

The condition can occur in dogs when they eat too fast immediately after exercising or drinking a lot of water at one time, according to Preventative Vet.

The average lifespan of an otter is typically 12 years, according to the zoo.

“His long life is a testament to the staff who lovingly cared for him over the last 15 years,” they said in the Facebook post. “Lucius will be dearly missed.”

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