Science: Water Babies

Every ambitious zoo longs to exhibit some interesting animal that no other zoo can boast. Last week the National Zoological Park at Washington earned this distinction; it became the proud owner of three impish-looking, mustachioed young sea otters—Hortense, Aggie and Peter.

About four feet long, they were caught in the bleak Aleutian Islands, and the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service rushed them to Washington in a Stratocruiser. At the airport (temperature 90°), they seemed resentful and whistled shrilly, but when they got to the zoo, they splashed with content in the iced water of a small, air-conditioned pool.

Zoo Director William M. Mann hopes...

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