A few adventurous otters went for a playful splash in the pool of a St Francis Bay home recently, and the homeowners caught them red-handed.
At least five Cape clawless otters were seen swimming and frolicking in the pool, and ‘living their best lives’ as one TikTok user commented. The video was shared by Wildly Africa.
Take a look:
@wildlyafrica At least 5 Cape Clawless Otters visited this residence in St Francis Bay. WHAT A LUCK!! Kill them with kindness. #otter #beach #pool #water #fyp #viralotters #southafrica ♬ Tokyo Drift(Original Mix) – 南辞+安筱冷
This isn’t the first time these otterly adorable creatures have been spotted out and about in South Africa. A video taken on Robberg Beach in Plettenberg Bay in 2020 shows two Cape clawless otters leisurely strolling about like it’s nobody’s business:
Closer to home, two ‘resident’ Cape clawless otters appeared in Green Point urban park. Not many have been lucky enough to encounter them but there’s been a good few snoops that have boasted their spotting on social media:
@scotthurly♬ Jiggle Jiggle – Duke & Jones & Louis Theroux
From a quick glance, it looks like they’re jamming to the rhythms of the Cape but actually, they’re marking their territories with a ‘wee dance’. Still adorable though? Definitely.
We know their cuteness makes you want to pick them up and cuddle forever, but they can become aggressive when feeling threatened so it’s best to admire them from a distance.
The Cape clawless otter, also known as the African clawless otter (Aonyx Capensi), is a shy, larger-than-you’d-expect animal that is both nocturnal and diurnal. It is the largest freshwater species after the South American otter.
Unfortunately, their population is slowly decreasing and in 2014, Cape clawless otters were listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It might be pretty obvious, but did you know the world-famous Otter Trail – the oldest hiking trail in South Africa – is specifically named after these cheeky critters?
Opened in 1968, it’s arguably the most iconic trail in SA, traversing 40 kilometres along the coastline between the Storms River mouth and Nature’s Valley. The Cape clawless otter can often be found within the streams and estuaries of the South African coast.
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Picture: Unsplash