pata birthday

You otter brace yourself for a wave of cuteness.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, the largest aquarium on the world, is home to over 30,000 creatures belonging to around 620 species. On one fateful day in 1996, Pata the Otter was born into that large Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan family.

Pata is known among her handlers as a bit moody and difficult to work with, but to the public, she’s an adorable and expressive 20-kilogram ball of fluff. She’s built a following for herself both in the aquarium and on social media.

▼Do you look this cute eating ice? No? I didn’t think so.

On June 28th, Pata celebrated her 20th birthday. What better way for an extremely photogenic otter to celebrate her birthday than holding a photo exhibit for yourself? “Wagamama desu kedo, nani ka?” (“I’m selfish, so what?“) is a photo exhibit currently held inside Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan until July 31st. It chronicles Pata’s life through the eyes of her handlers from birth until present.

▼”Paint me like one of your French otters…”

https://twitter.com/mitsuru_rin/status/747697605505847297

▼”Extreme close up! Wooooah!”

▼Goodnight, sweet princess.

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You might even be able to see a bit of Pata on the aquarium’s official YouTube channel sometimes!

Entrance to the photo exhibit itself is free of charge. All you need to pay is the admission fee to the aquarium itself, which will run you anywhere from 600 yen to 2,300 yen. Check out their official website for more details.

Aquarium Information
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Address: 1-1-10 Kaigandori, Minato-ku, Osaka City 552-0022 Japan
〒552-0022 大阪市港区海岸通1-1-10
Tel: +81-6-6576-5501
Fax: +81-6-6576-5510
E-mail: info2@kaiyukan.com
Hours: 10:00-20:00 *Varies by season
Website

Sources: Net Lab, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Homepage
Featured image: Twitter/CYBERLILY701