Travis Kelce has added a new title to his résumé. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end confirmed he is now the symbolic zoo parent of three giant river otters at the Philadelphia Zoo after a surprise reveal on the podcast “Not Gonna Lie.”
Kelce, 36, has frequently spoken about his love for otters on his podcast “New Heights,” which he co-hosts with his brother Jason Kelce. His now-fiancé Taylor Swift, previously joined the show, where the couplediscussed his fascination with the animals. What started as a running joke has now turned into a real-life adoption.
Travis Kelce Surprised With Giant River Otter Adoption on ‘Not Gonna Lie’
Kelce appeared as a guest on the February 6 episode of “Not Gonna Lie,” hosted by his sister-in-law,Kylie Kelce. During a lighthearted conversation about animals and internet culture, Kylie revealed that the Philadelphia Zoo had symbolically adopted a giant river otter in his name.
“As a special surprise from us here at NGL,” Kylie told him on the podcast, “we actually adopted a giant river otter at the Philadelphia Zoo in your name.”
The adoption was completed under Kelce’s family nickname, “Uncle Trav.” The NFL star responded immediately.
“First of all, big zoo guy,” Travis said. “Uncle Trav, this is amazing.”
Travis had just explained his longtime dream of encountering an otter in the wild.
“Every time I go past some sort of creek or river, in my mind,there’s an otter standing up on a rock waving to me,” he said. “I’ve had dreams like this.This iscrazy.It’s just, like, Ijust know they’re the friendliest.”
Philadelphia Zoo Confirms ‘Uncle Trav’ Now Sponsors Three Otters
What began as a single adoption has since expanded. In a recent social media post from the Philadelphia Zoo, a Certificate of Adoption hanging on the otters’ enclosure lists “Uncle Trav” as the benefactor of three giant river otters: Yeyuno, Thor,and Matteo.
In a statement to People,Maggie Morse, senior director of animal care at the Philadelphia Zoo, acknowledged Kelce’s new role.
“As a new Zoo Parent, we invite Uncle Trav to come and meet our giant river otter family whenever he needs a break from babysitting the nieces,” Morse said. She added, “We just ask he leaves [Taylor Swift’s] sourdough at home, unless it’s for our staff. Otters prefer fish!”
Kylie also joked during the podcast that giant river otters may not be as “cute fuzzy” as her brother-in-law imagines, noting that the species is known for being loud, energetic,and significantly larger than sea otters. Travis remained enthusiastic.
“Uncle Trav, can’t wait to meet you, dude,” he said, addressing the otter directly.
Taylor Swift Discusses Travis Kelce’s Otter Obsession on ‘New Heights’
Travis’ fascination with otters also came up during a previous episode of “New Heights” featuring Taylor Swift. During the episode, Swift discussed how she has spent time baking sourdough bread since wrapping her Eras Tour, which ran from March 2023 through December 2024. She announced her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” during the appearance.
“This is where the Internet is a good place, where you can curate a reality, where, like, all I really use the internet for is sourdough,” Swift said.
She then revealed that her husband-to-be watches sea otter videos online.
“I want a wild animal,” Kelce said during the conversation. “I want a wild otter so bad.Ijust want to, like, find these little creatures.”
Swift clarified that Kelce does not want to remove an animal from the wild. Instead, she described a more cinematic scenario.
“He wants to see an otter, and the otter is, like, ‘My pawis caught in a shell,’ and he’s, like, ‘I got you,’” Swift said. “And then the otter is, like, ‘thank you forever,’ with its little paws.”
Swift added that she imagines kayaking together when an otter swims up to them.
“That’s what he wants, and I want it too, honestly. I mean, who doesn’t?” she said.