Otterly delightful!
June 30, 2023 1:24 PM Subscribe
KOTSUMET is a YouTube channel that posts videos about two domesticated otters named Kotaro and Hana who live in Japan. :-)
They are delightful! One of our favorite channels to visit when one of us has had a bad day and needs cute otters to cheer us up. The logistics of running that house always astound me. They gotta be doing laundry a lot, mainly to keep up with all the towels that are seen soaking up water.
posted by Carillon at 1:54 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Carillon at 1:54 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Thank you!!! I need this in my life.
posted by Scout405 at 2:07 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Scout405 at 2:07 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Kotaro & Hana! One of my favorite Youtube otter accounts! I love the crossover episodes with Aty & Ui; and when Hana visits her siblings at Loutre.
(plus, this group seems to be very on top of making sure they're treating the otters ethically & carefully)
posted by CrystalDave at 2:26 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
(plus, this group seems to be very on top of making sure they're treating the otters ethically & carefully)
posted by CrystalDave at 2:26 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Love this channel. Don't miss the episodes when they go traveling on field trips to rivers and onsen and stuff.
Also I don't even want to know how much laundry they do because Kotaro and Hana seem to get into all of their laundry all of the time even above and beyond all the towels they use as the otters run in and out of their pool, and otters are a bit stinky.
And while I'm a definitely little conflicted about the concept of domesticated otters, those are some seriously fat and pampered otters. They eat better than I do.
I can also note that when they do field trips to streams and rivers the otters are into it but they also seem to be... a little fussy and confused by the concepts of sand, dirt and rocks being everywhere and not as posh as their home pool and pad.
But there are some episodes where they go off leash and they seem perfectly happy enough to stick around their humans and not go running off into the wilds.
posted by loquacious at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also I don't even want to know how much laundry they do because Kotaro and Hana seem to get into all of their laundry all of the time even above and beyond all the towels they use as the otters run in and out of their pool, and otters are a bit stinky.
And while I'm a definitely little conflicted about the concept of domesticated otters, those are some seriously fat and pampered otters. They eat better than I do.
I can also note that when they do field trips to streams and rivers the otters are into it but they also seem to be... a little fussy and confused by the concepts of sand, dirt and rocks being everywhere and not as posh as their home pool and pad.
But there are some episodes where they go off leash and they seem perfectly happy enough to stick around their humans and not go running off into the wilds.
posted by loquacious at 3:16 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]
Otters have a ferocious bite and are unpredictable as they get older. Yeah they’re cute but they should be enjoyed from a distance.
posted by Peach at 5:54 PM on June 30, 2023
posted by Peach at 5:54 PM on June 30, 2023
Absolutely adorable but those bites were worrying. I think everyone in the UK who watched children's TV in the 1980s will be flinching a little - we had a TV presenter called Terry Nutkins who was missing two fingers because of an otter attack.
But also, SO CUTE.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:01 AM on July 1, 2023
But also, SO CUTE.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:01 AM on July 1, 2023
I have a bit of a "pet" peeve about folks imposing baby talk onto animals, so I have to kinda deliberately ignore the cutesy speech bubbles, but I get that it's just how some folks experience their affection for critters and I can't really be mad at the keeper/videographer being unable to contain themselves because OMG LOOK AT THOSE LITTLE GUYS
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 12:36 PM on July 1, 2023
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 12:36 PM on July 1, 2023
This is one of my dreams. I would do everything to make sure my home is fully equipped to give otters a super bitchin', healthy life. They are remarkably affectionate and I love them so much.
I think I'll have to start with ferrets, though.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 11:29 PM on July 10, 2023
I think I'll have to start with ferrets, though.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 11:29 PM on July 10, 2023
One of my favorite Youtube otter accounts!
Is there like, a large number of youtube otter accounts among which one can choose?
Can I ask for more otter accounts pls?
posted by Pyrogenesis at 2:53 AM on July 11, 2023
Is there like, a large number of youtube otter accounts among which one can choose?
Can I ask for more otter accounts pls?
posted by Pyrogenesis at 2:53 AM on July 11, 2023
Indeed, Pyrogenesis!
I did a post some (four? really?) years back rounding up otter accounts: https://www.metafilter.com/183255/Otter-Appreciation-Station-2019, with Kotaro & Hana first on the list. It still mostly holds, with some updates. (and wow, it's amazing to see the growth in reach. Back then Kotaro & Hana were in the 100k subscriber range, now they're on the way to 2 million!)
Captain Aty has since added Ui, an otter rescued from an unethical breeder and has become probably my favorite channel, with near-daily updates. There's regular crossover episodes where Kotaro, Hana, Aty, & Ui explore a river together. Ui & Hana have been slow to warm towards each other, but Kotaro & Aty seem very friendly towards each other.
LOUTRE wasn't on the list previously, I'm always hesitant about otter cafes (and domestic otter accounts in general, given concerns about proper care & otter smuggling), but Loutre seems to be doing alright from what I can tell & is working towards a full otter sanctuary space. Komugi is Hana's brother, and there's an entire multigenerational otter family dynamic there. From the first generation there came Odashi & Otsuyu, twin female otters who share pup-raising duties. Totoro was their first litter I believe, & has been growing up charmingly over the last year. (He quickly took to learning from Captain Aty on how to navigate rivers) L, Beat, Mini, & Choco are the second litter, growing up now.
I think since then there seems to be more coordination between otter owners, especially around displaying proper care & discouraging ownership. The CITES change I mentioned in that post seems to have worked well from the last I've heard, and Japan's moved to chipped & licensed tracking of otters & their owners. Solo otters are becoming less common, as it's being more understood that inasmuch as domestic otters can happen, they need more socialization than just humans. There's also more recognition that exposure to rivers & larger swimming spaces is important, as well as more whole-fish diets. (Sweetfish in particular has become popular, with a couple fisheries getting spotlit as sources of sustainable fishing)
posted by CrystalDave at 10:12 AM on July 11, 2023
I did a post some (four? really?) years back rounding up otter accounts: https://www.metafilter.com/183255/Otter-Appreciation-Station-2019, with Kotaro & Hana first on the list. It still mostly holds, with some updates. (and wow, it's amazing to see the growth in reach. Back then Kotaro & Hana were in the 100k subscriber range, now they're on the way to 2 million!)
Captain Aty has since added Ui, an otter rescued from an unethical breeder and has become probably my favorite channel, with near-daily updates. There's regular crossover episodes where Kotaro, Hana, Aty, & Ui explore a river together. Ui & Hana have been slow to warm towards each other, but Kotaro & Aty seem very friendly towards each other.
Aty: A little boy otter who came to our house at the age of 9 months. At first he couldn't even swim in the river, but now he loves the river more than anything else and swims in it all year round. Whenever we go out, he always walks ahead of everyone, so he has come to be called “Captain Aty”.Bingo added Belle, they're a bit more housebound, Belle's had issues with tail shedding so they haven't posted as frequent of updates lately while that's been getting sorted out.
Ui: A tomboy with comical movements. Because of her ferocious nature, she had to go from one owner to another. At first, she was so ferocious that Aty was too frightened to even touch her. But Ui opened up to us and now she and Aty make out every day. Aty and Ui have been issued a certificate of registration as an internationally rare wild animal and plant species. Although Ui may appear calm today, she used to be so ferocious that people could not approach her. After more than a year of being bitten, she finally came to live with us.
LOUTRE wasn't on the list previously, I'm always hesitant about otter cafes (and domestic otter accounts in general, given concerns about proper care & otter smuggling), but Loutre seems to be doing alright from what I can tell & is working towards a full otter sanctuary space. Komugi is Hana's brother, and there's an entire multigenerational otter family dynamic there. From the first generation there came Odashi & Otsuyu, twin female otters who share pup-raising duties. Totoro was their first litter I believe, & has been growing up charmingly over the last year. (He quickly took to learning from Captain Aty on how to navigate rivers) L, Beat, Mini, & Choco are the second litter, growing up now.
I think since then there seems to be more coordination between otter owners, especially around displaying proper care & discouraging ownership. The CITES change I mentioned in that post seems to have worked well from the last I've heard, and Japan's moved to chipped & licensed tracking of otters & their owners. Solo otters are becoming less common, as it's being more understood that inasmuch as domestic otters can happen, they need more socialization than just humans. There's also more recognition that exposure to rivers & larger swimming spaces is important, as well as more whole-fish diets. (Sweetfish in particular has become popular, with a couple fisheries getting spotlit as sources of sustainable fishing)
posted by CrystalDave at 10:12 AM on July 11, 2023
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