Uno

Description

Uno is one of five otters that live here on Grandfather Mountain. He arrived in November 2017 when he was about nine months old. Uno had been found by an area resident near Asheville, N.C., who kept him for a few weeks. He was eventually turned over to rehabilitators in the Asheville area, who transferred him to a rehabilitator in Lincoln County, the very same who raised our Oscar, Luna and Nova.

The rehabber’s goal was to successfully teach Uno everything about being otter, with the hopes that he could be reintroduced into the wild. After passing his hunting test and swimming test with flying colors (or swimming colors), he had just one test left to pass—the stranger test.

An appropriate response for a wild otter is to show a healthy fear or wariness of humans, especially strangers. Uno, on the other hand, bounced right up to the strangers and jumped on them playfully. Fearing
that his overwhelming friendliness would prove detrimental to his safety if he were released into the wild, the rehabber made the decision to find him a permanent home — Grandfather Mountain.

Uno is extremely playful and will always try to catch the attention of his keepers by chirping loudly or rolling onto his back and showing them his belly. One of his favorite activities is collecting small items, including rocks and golf balls, which he then organizes neatly on his toy chair.

Enjoy your adopted animal on a whole new level.

Adopt at any level and know your animal—and you—will be well cared for. Celebrating a birthday or special occasion? Adoptions make great gifts, too.