CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We are less than a week away from the biggest NFL game of the year, Super Bowl 58. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to defend their title, while the San Francisco 49ers have a chance to win again for the first time since 1995.
Sports Director Larissa Liska needed help making her pick, so she asked for some help from otter friends at the Texas State Aquarium, Arthur and Fisher.
"One of my favorite things about working with them is that they do have their own unique personalities," Texas State Aquarium trainer Bronwyn Messmer said. "I love that I get to come here every day and get to know them a little bit more and learn more about them."
Like learning which team these 4-year-old river otters would pick to win Super Bowl 58, the Chiefs or 49ers. Arthur ran straight to the Kansas City ice cake made with jello, while Fisher gave the 49ers a try and decided it was too fishy.
"I thought it was awesome to be able to watch them pick their Super Bowl winners. I am actually rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs," Messmer said. "I'm a big Taylor Swift fan, so I'm hoping that they are able to come through and get that win. It was really cool to be able to see them make their choices, and I think that Arthur made a good choice by picking the Kansas City Chiefs for sure."
Both otters are Texas rescues, Fisher from Tyler and Arthur from Austin.
"One of the coolest reasons that I think why we train them is for their husbandry or their medical management behaviors," Messmer said. "We train them to voluntarily participate in all of their health care."
The Texas State Aquarium's goal for a lot of their animals is to rescue, rehabilitate and help get these cute creatures back to the wild.
"I think that we have an excellent rescue program here," Messmer said. "I love being able to share my passion for that and educate people on how they can help animals just like Arthur and Fisher every single day."
Kickoff for Super Bowl 58 is set for 5:30 p.m. live on CBS KZTV. The otters pick will re-air on TV for our Big Game Preview Show that airs Saturday evening on KZTV and KDF, and then it will run again on Sunday morning on KRIS 6.
