March 2025

Milli and Binx, the newest Asian small-clawed otter pair at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) made their debut at the “Otters on the Edge” habitat. Milli, a 6-year-old female and Binx, a 4-year-old male have been exploring their new space at their own pace including a waterfall to slide down and a pond to twirl in. Milli is one of two otters that the Aquarium welcomed in January 2024 from Hong Kong. She was born to parents who were confiscated by the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The team transported Binx to the Aquarium in fall 2024 from an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facility in Florida as a mate for Milli.

Mischievous, food-motivated and a passion for shells and each other, Milli and Binx are the new "it" couple.

Rare Opportunity

Because Milli is from Hong Kong, her genetics offer a rare opportunity for breeding a species whose parents are from the wild.

“A successful breeding of this pair will bring in new genetics making it very valuable to the sustainability of the SSP in its goal of maintaining a genetically diverse population,” said Shannon Anderson, lead otter keeper.

Milli and Binx have some big paws to fill as the breeding of Leia and Quincy yielded three female pups in May 2022 and one female and two males in January 2023. The Aquarium celebrated the new pups and success in the AZA Species Survival Plan^® (SSP) Program.