NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Zoo is mourning the loss of a 5-year-old Asian small-clawed otter named Alana, who passed away unexpectedly over the weekend.
The zoo said in a social media post that Alana had not recently displayed any health or behavioral abnormalities. A necropsy was performed to determine the animal's cause of death.
The zoo said Alana was born at the Columbus Zoo in 2018 and had lived at the Virginia Zoo since late 2020. Her keepers described Alana as "smart, observant, curious about enrichment and quick to learn."
Alana is the second otter to die recently in Hampton Roads. In April, the Virginia Aquarium said its North American river otter, Sheldon, died at the age of 12.
