From elephants to sea otters

From Brazil to Québec

Originally from Brasília, Lorrayne has been saying since she was a child that she would one day become a marine biologist. After completing her university studies in biology, she became a trainer for big cats and large African mammals at the Brasília Zoo, where she cared for giants like Thor, a rain-fearing rhinoceros, and Chocolat, a nervous elephant.

In 2020, her marine dream came true when she arrived in Canada to start a new chapter at Aquarium du Québec. After working with species as diverse as jellyfish, seals, arctic foxes, and polar bears, she is now preparing to welcome four new residents with strong personalities all their own, namely sea otters.

An intensive immersion in Vancouver

In October 2024, Lorrayne and her colleagues flew to Vancouver for a week-long intensive training session. Immersed in a group of about ten otters, Lorrayne discovered the secrets of this unique species alongside trainers from the Vancouver Aquarium.

There, she learned the vital importance of their fur: “Otters don’t have a layer of blubber. It’s their fur, like a waterproof coat, that protects them from hypothermia.”

During her stay in Vancouver, she helped the trainers care for rescued baby otters, whose fur the trainers had to dry by hand, thereby replacing essential maternal care.

Lorrayne also discovered the “pockets” trick: otters have folds of skin under their arms to hide food or pebbles! “You always have to be on your toes and watch what you give them. Sea otters are creatures unlike any others,” Lorrayne exclaims with a big smile. “They’re hyperactive, playful, and always on the go. For a trainer, dealing with them is a constant challenge; you have to stimulate their boundless intelligence at every meal.”

The challenge of vitamins and “time out”

Logistically speaking, training otters requires unparalleled ingenuity. Unlike seals, which swallow their fish whole, otters tear their food apart and are experts at detecting (and spitting out!) vitamin pills. The solution developed in Vancouver? Grind the vitamins into powder and mix them with gelatin and clams.

Training a group of otters is also a rigorous team sport. “Otters are little troublemakers,” explains Lorrayne. If one of them decides to leave the training session, she risks causing a ruckus and stealing the others’ food. The golden rule? “Time out.” If one otter stops, all of them stop. A striking contrast to seals, where you can continue with the remaining individuals.

The big day is approaching: Operation Cargo

The arrival of the four otters from Vancouver in June will be a high-stakes operation. They will travel by cargo plane, accompanied by a veterinarian, a curator, and a senior trainer from Vancouver. A full team from Québec (trainers, a veterinarian, a curator, technical staff) will be waiting for them at the airport for the final ground transfer to their brand-new habitat.

“It’s a good kind of stress,” she admits. Before D-Day, the team has been busy preparing sturdy toys (“otter-proof”!), creating frozen enrichment treats, and cleaning the pools.

A question of natural “chemistry”

Upon arrival, the otters will be quarantined under strict biosecurity protocols. Since they are susceptible to viruses (including COVID-19), the keepers will wear masks at the slightest suspicion of anything viral so as to protect the newcomers’ immune systems.

And who will train whom? “We’ll wait and see what their personalities are like,” Lorrayne says with a laugh. “There are always natural ‘matches’ between a human and an animal. They’ve already won my heart, but I can’t wait to see which one will be my next love at first sight!”

Get ready—this summer is going to be otter-rific at Aquarium du Québec!