Meet Eddie, The Basketball Shooting Otter

An old grey sea otter has discovered a trick to keep his arthritis pain at bay: Shooting hoops and winning hearts at a Zoo in Portland, Oregon. Eddie the otter is fifteen years old and the basketball is helping to improve his joint function through exercise. With every dunk Eddie receives a treat from his keeper Jenny DeGroot. Unfortunately if you’re visiting the zoo, you don’t get to see the basketball star as Eddie trains in a pool out of public view. Otters generally live to be about 15-20 years old so Eddie is doing quite well for his age. He has been a resident at the Zoo since 2000 after being rescued off the coast of California when he was abandoned as a pup two years earlier.