Even if that pool in the video was all they had, it wouldn’t even be too terrible. I’ve seen zoos give their otters about as much space with the otters still being happy enough to even have babies.

aquaristlifeforme:

Space is always an issue for people when looking critically at captive animals. Sometimes yeah, that animal should have more space. But other times the exhibit is meeting that animal’s needs. And it may not seem that way to the untrained eye, but it’s always ok to ask things like: how much room do they have behind the scenes? How does the animal utilize this space? What types of enrichment does this animal get? Why is the exhibit designed this way? Are there any future plans or fundraisers to improve this exhibit because I would like to contribute. Etc.

It should be noted that reproduction isn’t always a marker of happiness. Animals breeding means they aren’t under enough stress to potentially die, nothing more. Puppy mills exist, after all.