Otter pups to make public debut at the Cincinnati zoo

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - After many swim lessons in their private indoor pool, four Asian small-clawed otter pups are ready to make their first public plunge at the Cincinnati Zoo, starting Wednesday morning.

The pups - Ripple, Splash, Puddles and Scuttle - were born May 9, and have been busy bonding with their parents.

Now, the four siblings are all grown up and ready to live in their new outdoor habitat, located at the Elephant Trek.

“Mom, Munti, and dad, Flounder, have done a great job teaching the pups to swim in pools in their indoor space, so they’re ready to go outside,” said Victoria Morelli, Cincinnati Zoo’s zoological manager of primates.

Zoo officials say the public should be ready to be overwhelmed with “unbearable cuteness” and “otter chaos.”

Cincinnati Zoo members will get the first opportunity to see the otter pups at 9 a.m., and other patrons will get to see them when the zoo opens at 10 a.m.

Morelli says the pups still nap quite a bit, so they may not be visible for certain parts of the day.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.