Otter Plays Basketball

Rescued sea otter Juno plays basketball in her Steller Cove habitat to stay fit.

 Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo

PORTLAND — The NBA Finals aren’t the only must-see basketball this season. Juno, a rescued sea otter at the Oregon Zoo, is swimming straight to the hoop — and she can dunk with the best of them.

According to a news release, several years ago, zoo care staff trained the otter to put a ball through a plastic basketball hoop as a way of exercising her elbow joints. Until recently, her athletic exploits took place off-view, in a behind-the-scenes training pool.

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