Otters don’t enjoy the single life so when Harris the otter’s partner Apricot passed away at the impressive age of 16 he started to slump in his new found bachelor life.
His owners at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in England, knew that Harris would struggle alone so made it their mission to find him a new mate.
Instead of putting the word out to other seal sanctuaries and zoos to find the Asian short clawed otter a new mate they put an ad on a dating profile.
The ad on Fishing for Love posted on behalf of 10-year-old Harris read: “Looking to find my significant otter.
“I am very attentive, I love a cuddle and I am a very good listener. I will love you like no otter.”
Harris, who arrived at the sanctuary after being rejected by his family, received photos back from a female otter called Pumpkin who was newly single after her partner Eric passed away.
In a Facebook post on the Cornish Seal Sanctuary site, staff said first dates were not always easy with otters.
“The introduction of Asian short-clawed otters can be nerve racking and difficult to get right. To ensure the best chance of a new pairing getting off on the right foot, it’s best to introduce a new male into a female’s territory so that the male more easily submits to the female on first meeting.”
For this reason staff had to make the difficult decision to move their star otter to Pumpkin’s home at Sea Life Scarborough.
“Sea Life Scarborough are real otter experts and the team at the sanctuary couldn’t be happier that Harris will be cared for by their animal care experts,” Cornish Seal Sanctuary staff said.
“We will be very sad to see Harris go as he is such a character but we will be keeping in touch regularly to see how him and Pumpkin get on.”
I hope Harris and Pumpkin are very happy together and Harris is enjoying his new home.
Please share with all the otter fans you know and help lift their spirits today.