Popular Flevoland otter Freekje passed away at the age of 19

The otter Freekje, popular in Flevoland, passed away yesterday afternoon at the age of 19; very old for an otter. The animals normally live to be about three to six years old, says nature organization Flevo-landscape Foundation. A vet put the animal to sleep because she could barely walk for a few days and ate badly.

Freekje was born in the Russian Novosibirsk Zoological Park, but was brought to the Netherlands by Staatsbosbeheer together with her sister to strengthen the otter population.

It didn’t get that far for Freekje. The reintroduction into nature was canceled due to health problems, so the animal was forced to be taken care of in the otter enclosure of Natuurpark Lelystad.

Here she turned out to be ‘a real diva’, according to Flevo-landscape. Freekje played the leading role in regional and national TV items and she liked to be photographed and filmed by visitors, writes Broadcasting Flevoland.

The park will therefore miss the animal: “She was playful, curious, active and made great use of the otter passage between the two beds,” according to the nature park.

The reintroduction project for otters was a success even without Freekje; According to Flevo landscape, there are now about 500 wild otters in the Netherlands.