Posted April 3, 2020 in New Arrivals
Otis the Fennec Fox
Colchester Zoo is pleased to announce the arrival of a male Fennec Fox named Otis who has joined our resident female named Sammy.
Otis is a young Fennec fox at just 20 months old, he has come to Colchester Zoo from Riga Zoo in Latvia. Otis is quite a lot younger than Sammy with her being 8yrs old and Otis turning 2yrs old in July but we’re sure that the age difference won’t be a problem between these two and hope they will become great friends.
Otis arrived on the 16th March 2020 and has settled in extremely well with him being introduced to his new companion, Sammy, within the 2nd week of his arrival.
Sammy enjoys her food and plays with her enrichment when the keepers are not watching – she is a little timid but can be quite feisty so when introducing her to Otis the keepers were closely monitoring the pair.
Keeper Emma said, ‘Upon introducing the pair Sammy came across first and Otis showed interest but Sammy was a little unsure and kept her distance. Each day since they have seemed to to be getting closer and closer. Otis is so adorable, he interacts with enrichment we put in and loves his bugs.‘
The smallest of all the foxes, the Fennec Fox is easily recognisable due to it’s large ears. A fully grown Fennec fox weighs scarcely 1.5kg and is between 24 and 41cm long, compared to the British Red Fox which weighs
around 5kg!
We’re sure that Otis will become a firm favourite with the visitors!
