Otter Altruism

Via BoingBoing:

A biologist has reported on her many years of observing a group, and what she saw was very sweet. Giant otters, like wolves, live in groups with one breeding pair. The dominant female in this group was Cacao. She lived long and had many offspring. She was the top fish catcher and the leader of the hunt. Until she got old.

In 2007, the researcher noted, Cacao appeared to be losing her eyesight, and her mobility was suffering. She wasn’t catching big fish anymore. But when she asked for help she got it.

On one occasion Cacao got separated from her group during a hunt and couldn’t locate the others. She gave a wailing distress call. And some of her people came to find her, and led her to the others.

And on many occasions, Cacao wasn’t able to catch enough to feed herself, and she would go to another otter and beg. She’d make a modest call — a fraction of the ruckus that a begging juvenile makes — and squint her eyes. And one time in four, the other adult would give her food.

And for the sake of nostalgia and epic cuteness, have a link to otters holding hands. There is no day that cannot be improved by otters holding hands!