Punkin dunkin': Oregon Zoo's sea otters swap their basketball for mini pumpkins

Basketball is serious business at the Oregon Zoo — for the sea otters. Rescued otters Juno, Lincoln and Uni Sushi regularly play hoops in their Steller Cove habitat as part of their training, and around Halloween the ball is swapped for miniature pumpkins. Juno, keepers say, is the star: she 'dribbles' by swimming with her pumpkin before going in for the dunk, and gets visibly excited when the ball comes out. The tradition began years ago with Eddie, a rescued otter whom keepers taught to dunk to exercise his arthritic elbows; he played until nearly 21, among the oldest sea otters known. 'Positive-reinforcement training like the sea otters' basketball routine plays a critical role in animal well-being,' the zoo says — and using something novel, like pumpkins, keeps it interesting. For the otters, that is. For the rest of us, it is simply the best sports footage of the season.