Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is celebrating its smallest furriest aquatic family with a whole week dedicated to everything Otter until June 1.

Celebrating World Otter Day, which falls on May 29, ‘Otter Week’ at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo aims to drive awareness on Otter conservation as well as measures to protect the vulnerable species.

Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is home to a family of Asian small-clawed otters. This species of otters is the smallest of all 13 Otter species and are native to Asia.

The Asian small-clawed Otter, a highly threatened species, is the smallest breed of Otter in the world, weighing less than 5 kilograms. Carnivorous in nature, they live in streams, rivers, marshes and rice patties and feed on crustaceans, snails, fish and insects. Otters have a huge appetite and can eat up to 20% of their body weight daily. They are intelligent animals and great at using tools such as pick up rocks and using it to break open shellfish.

Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo has established an active otter breeding program to ensure its commitment to their survival, working at the same time closely with conservationists, local community, wildlife organizations and government entities to drive the protection of Otters.

Make sure you visit the exclusive pop-up art exhibition in The Dubai Mall showcasing paw-paintings by Dubai Aquarium’s Otter family themselves.

The centrepiece of the exhibition, is a bespoke painting of Dubai Aquarium’s mother and daughter otter pair, Ginger and Maxine by wildlife artist, Emma Skinner. This painting is also up for grabs! By simply participating in a social media competition on the attraction’s pages @dubaiaquarium, visitors to the aquarium can go back home with an endearing prized souvenir of these playful mammals.

To drive awareness about Otter conservation, 10 per cent of the proceeds of all Otter Encounter bookings at Dubai Aquarium during ‘Otter Week’ will be donated to the International Otter Survival Fund – one of the world’s leading Otter charities.

What: Otter Week

Where: Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Level 2

When: May 26 to June 1