The two cubs were born at the beginning of the year by the banks of the river, but the news has been kept secret until now.

Ouseburn Park Ranger Michael Hancock said: “We had to keep it quiet because there was a chance if a lot of people had come to see them they would have been disturbed.

“If that happens the mother can sometimes abandon the cubs.

“It is fantastic news and we are very pleased to have them at Jesmond Dene.”

The otter population in Jesmond Dene is monitored by special cameras funded by the Jesmond Dene Volunteer Rangers' Nature area project.(Source)

Otter Cubs

 Birth usually takes place in the water and typically produces a single pup weighing 1.4 to 2.3 kg (3 to 5 lb). Twins occur in 2% of births; however, usually only one pup survives. At birth, the eyes are open, ten teeth are visible, and the pup has a thick coat of baby fur. Mothers have been observed to lick and fluff a newborn for hours; after grooming, the pup's fur retains so much air, the pup floats like a cork and cannot dive. The fluffy baby fur is replaced by adult fur after about 13 weeks.


Nursing lasts six to eight months in Californian populations and four to 12 months in Alaska, with the mother beginning to offer bits of prey at one to two months. The milk from a sea otter's two abdominal nipples is rich in fat and more similar to the milk of other marine mammals than to that of other mustelids. A pup, with guidance from its mother, practices swimming and diving for several weeks before it is able to reach the sea floor. Initially, the objects it retrieves are of little food value, such as brightly colored starfish and pebbles.Juveniles are typically independent at six to eight months, but a mother may be forced to abandon a pup if she cannot find enough food for it; at the other extreme, a pup may nurse until it is almost adult size. Pup mortality is high, particularly during an individual's first winter – by one estimate, only 25% of pups survive their first year. Pups born to experienced mothers have the highest survival rates. (Wikipedia)