Staff members at the Museum of Discovery and Science are proud of their new "Otters At Play" exhibit.

The three North American river otters frolic around for everyone to see, and while two of them have no problem diving in the water, little Joey, just 9 months old, can't swim.

Otter keeper Staci Stafford realized early on he would only put his paws in.

"I thought, 'Oh this is interesting. How do we fix this?'" Stafford told local 10's Neki Mohan .

Stafford is working with Joey every day and said research shows otters aren't born knowing how to swim but are taught by their mothers. Stafford believes that Joey was orphaned before he was taught how to swim.

So along with the two other otters, Stafford and the other keepers are easing Joey into the water. He now swims in 2 feet of water in the otter run in the back area. Museum CEO Kim Cavendish comes by to see him often and thinks one day soon, he will just go for it.

"I was surprised he was back in the water today," said Cavendish. "They are fun-loving. Once you start watching them, you can't stop."

The Museum of Discovery and Science is hard at work on the $25 million Eco-Discovery Expansion. The exhibit includes an airboat simulator, a megalodon shark and the lively Otter habitat.

The exhibit opens Nov. 11.