GREEN BAY - Let’s just call it what it is: otterly wonderful news.
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary announced over the weekend it is once again home to a pair of otters. Meet Renee and Caesar, who were rescued from Louisiana and now live in Green Bay.
The two will officially be welcomed to their new home at 1 p.m. Sunday as part of a first-time event called Ottertoberfest.
Visitors will be able to watch them swim in the Woodland Building otter exhibit as staff shares their story and answers questions about them. There will also be cookies, punch, otter stickers for kids and Ottertoberfest buttons.
Their arrival marks a happy next chapter in Bay Beach’s otter history following the passing of its beloved Sammy and Sadie in 2022. They came to the sanctuary as week-old orphans in 2008, after they were found in a cranberry bog, and lived there for 14 years. Their deaths, just a few days apart, was a devastating blow to the staff who had cared for them around the clock as babies, nursed them back from illness and got to know the quirks of their distinctive personalities.
They became adored ambassadors for Bay Beach, educating the public about their species and the importance of clean water and delighting visitors with their funny antics and water ballets.
An art installation by Kent Hutchison in their honor was dedicated at the entrance of the Woodland Building last year.
More: Giving the Resch Center a fresh new floor this summer is a strategic two-month, 6,534-chair process
More: Yeti's Drive-In in Crandon serves up old-fashioned fun with ice cream treats, carhops and a mythical mascot
Bay Beach's Ottertoberfest celebration will continue throughout September. The free Otter Odyssey program from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Sundays and 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays is a chance to learn about otters and see Renee and Caesar eat fish and other treats.
Staff will also talk about their newest residents during Bay Beach’s 19th annual Walk for Wildlife from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 21. The fundraiser supports the sanctuary’s R-PAWS program, which cares for more than 6,500 injured and orphaned animals each year. Registration at walkwildlife.com .
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com . Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @KendraMeinert .
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Two years after the passing of its beloved Sadie and Sammy, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary welcomes two new otters
Most Popular
Comments / 0