Osborn and Osgood otters surprised their mother and the staff when they arrived in the world on December 10, 1980. Their mother, Renee, and two males, Eric and Todd, all three Asian small-clawed otters, had only been living together in the Children's Zoo's new "Otterville" exhibit since June. Breeding had been observed, and the attendants knew Renee was pregnant, but this was the Zoo's first experience with a pregnant otter, and it was Renee's first experience being pregnant, so no one was quite sure what should happen next. Ordinarily the mother would build a nest in a den or log to have her pups, but Renee hadn't done that when she went into labor, and she was still on exhibit, too. She cleaned the first pup, but then she left it resting precariously on a ledge above the deep end of the pool. Visitors alerted the attendants, and attendant Allison Wood actually leaped into the pool and swam over to rescue the pup before it could fall in the water. All three adults were then let into the back bedroom, where Renee gave birth to five more pups, but unfortunately only one of them was alive. Because it had all happened so unexpectedly, there was no nest, and Renee seemed distressed and confused, the attendants took the two male pups to the nursery to be hand raised. Osborn and Osgood required round-the-clock care and were fed with an eyedropper every two hours. But they gained weight and grew steadily, and were soon on their way to becoming more independent. Their arrival may have been rather too hectic—but it had been an "otterly" incredible learning experience for everyone involved!