Oregon Zoo sea otters play basketball with pumpkins

Three rescued sea otters, Juno, Lincoln and Uni Sushi, are shooting mini pumpkins through a hoop instead of a ball for Halloween. Oregon Zoo in Portland posted the video on 24 October.

The game has a touching history. It was started by an otter called Eddie, who was taught to shoot hoops to exercise his sore elbows. Eddie died in 2018 at almost 21, but the tradition stayed. Juno and Lincoln were found as orphaned pups on the California coast in 2013 and 2017, and Uni Sushi on a beach near Santa Cruz in 2018; she was cared for at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The game is not just fun but also a way to keep the animals fit. The zoo also supports the Indigenous-led Elakha Alliance, which wants to bring sea otters back to the Oregon coast.