PORTLAND, Ore. – He may be old and gray, but Eddie the otter still has game.
The slam-dunking sea otter celebrated his 20th birthday at the Oregon Zoo on Friday by putting on a show and showing off his hops. Watch Eddie dunk
Eddie is one of the oldest known sea otters in the world. Twenty years old is practically ancient in sea-otter years, according to zoo keepers.
Eddie has lived at the Oregon Zoo since 2000. He was abandoned as a pup off the coast of California and rescued in 1998.
In 2012, Oregon Zoo staff trained Eddie to dunk a basketball as therapy for his arthritic elbow joints. Once video of his routine got out, Eddie went viral and his dunks were seen around the world.
Despite becoming an internet celebrity, Eddie stayed humble and stuck to his routine. It’s unclear if dunking has helped Eddie live so long, but zoo keepers say his love of basketball is as strong as ever.
“Male sea otters seldom live past 15 years, so Eddie’s among the oldest of his kind,” said senior marine life keeper Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey. “He still loves to play hoops though, and he’s definitely still got game.”
