Maxwell gets the otter in Basra, as a gift from his friend. Two Arabs bring it to his hotel in a sack that squirmed from time to time, and one of them hands it to him, saying, “Here is your otter.”

Yes, he likes it immediately. He describes it with fascination and admiration, showing his deep affection from the beginning. This is clear from phrases like:

• "An otter fixation had taken hold of me."
• "It was a cross between a chocolate-brown mud and a creature that is pointed in both ends."