Maymont is inviting the public to name its new female river otter.
Maymont has a new addition to its animal habitats, a 3-year-old female river otter named Nola
The otter has been getting acclimated to her new home since arriving from Louisiana on Nov. 29. Local authorities determined she had developed into a nuisance predator to the local crawfish population.
“She was considered a nuisance animal because she was raiding crawfish farms, and she was captured, but instead of being euthanized, essentially, she ended up in a space like Maymont,” says Joe Neel, Maymont’s senior manager of zoology.
The rescued otter has slowly been introduced to male otter Louis, who has been a resident of Maymont since 2017 and can be spotted by visitors to the Nature Center as he jumps and swims inside the sun- and rock-filled water enclosure. So far, Neel says, Nola's transition to Maymont has been smooth.
“It’s been going great. All of our animals here receive training for behavior modification with positive reinforcement. We don’t train them to do tricks; it’s target training stationing that helps us in the long run with the animal husbandry, and we’re able to request that she stay in a specific spot like on a scale to be able to get things like her weight without having to stress her out,” Neel says. “The aquarists have done a great job getting her acclimated, and she’s comfortable around them, she’s not stressed when they’re around her, she’s really just waiting to be fed.”
Maymont’s newest river otter has been getting acclimated to her new environment since arriving Nov. 29 of last year.
Nola's name, a nickname for New Orleans, was selected first through donations to Maymont’s Adopt an Animal program, a symbolic adoption that benefits the wildlife residing within the 100-acre historic estate. It then beat out three other contenders — Beignet, Ana and Evangeline — in a subsequent public vote. "The competition was fierce during the weeklong voting window until Nola emerged as the winner with a resounding 1,300-vote lead," Maymont said in a press release.
“It’s a great educational opportunity to invite people in to see, one, a fascinating, playful animal, and two, realize [otters] are all around us, they’re in the James River, they’re up and down our aquatic environments … and it’s great to be able to see them in the Nature Center,” Maymont Communications Manager Melissa Abernathy says.
Visitors to The Robins Nature Center, which is open Fridays-Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., have had the opportunity to see Nola in the mornings as they rotate her out with Louis in the water enclosure. The goal is not only to provide a residence for the otters but also to create an educational opportunity.
“In a captive setting, they seem very playful because they’re comfortable with people, but it’s actually rare you would see them in the wild because they’re reclusive ... they’re one of the greatest natural resources in Virginia that are available to us; these animals are amazing,” Neel says, noting the river otters’ ability to thrive in Virginia’s environment due to factors including their dense fur. “What wonderful animals they are within our ecosystem. They do serve a function, they do great in an exhibit setting because once they do become acclimated, they are playful and serve for education; they’re great examples as an ambassador animal connecting us with the environment.”
The new otter joins more than 85 species of animals that live at Maymont, including two new species, a pair of coyotes and a porcupine. The animals are being introduced as Maymont undergoes renovations to its wildlife habitats and establishes the Virginia Wildlife Trail on-site as part of the Maymont 2025 campaign.
“Almost all of our wild animals are rescues like the new otter and Louis,” Abernathy says. “They were brought in either because they were a nuisance in their home environment or maladapted. We have some animals that were abandoned by their mothers due to some sort of illness, we have others here with injuries that have been rehabilitated. It’s part of Maymont’s mission to help give these animals a second chance.”
The grounds of Maymont are free to enter with a $5 suggested donation. Admission to The Robins Nature Center is $6 for children ages 3-16 and for ages 65 and up; adult admission is $8. For more information on Maymont’s river otters, including some fun facts, visit maymont.org.
