Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/chow-otter/

Meet Mr. Chow! The sweetest and funniest otter at the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary!

Mr. Chow came from a Texas sister zoo of the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, and he was just a baby at the time, learning how to swim.

Now, he is all grown up and has learned many tricks, like how to welcome guests by biting their shoes!

Dumpling came from the same zoo, and she quickly became the apple of Mr. Chow’s eyes. He was very protective of her and would always come to her side whenever he heard her cry. The two of them shared wonderful times together for two years.

But Dumpling got sick and never woke up after surgery. Mr. Chow grew so lonely without his best friend. The staff at the sanctuary did their best to cheer him up. They showered the grieving otter with attention and gave him more snacks.

Mr. Chow got over his loneliness and was soon back to his old self. In fact, he has become sweeter and a bit more persistent when he wants treats and attention, especially from his most favorite person in the world. He has also become fond of being an office helper, although he spends most of his time at the office cuddling and sleeping on the job! And snoring, too!

Mr. Chow is an Asian small-clawed otter, the smallest among the 13 otter species. While other otters directly eat with their mouth when fed, small-clawed otters show more cleverness by reaching out for the food with their claws. In the wild, their diet consists of crabs, small fish, insects, amphibians, and shellfish, which they habitually leave under the sun to let the heat open them up. Very smart!

Mr. Chow, despite growing up in captivity, is just as intelligent too. In fact, growing up with humans has motivated him to be funny and persistent in ways that are so lovable! He loves to play, kiss, and cuddle like a baby. And although small-clawed otters use 13 kinds of noise to communicate, Mr. Chow has developed his own whines and sounds to get attention and his favorite treat, shrimp!

Watch this video of th amazing otter Mr. Chow!

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog