Wellington Zoo welcomes otter brothers

The new otters are 'very cheeky, clever and gregarious'. Photo / supplied

Wellington Zoo has welcomed five 'otterly' cute new residents from Perth.

The group of five Asian small-clawed otter brothers arrived on Tuesday, after travelling to Wellington from Perth Zoo.

Named Bay, Eko, Si, Bhutan and Jambi, the brothers spent their first day in quarantine, but visitors can now catch a glimpse of them in Wellington Zoo's Otter exhibit.

"These handsome brothers are settling in well to life in Wellington. They're very curious and are enjoying investigating their new surroundings together," said Paul Horton, Life Sciences Manager.

The new arrivals were bound to delight visitors to Wellington Zoo as they had done in Perth, said Holly Thompson, a supervisor at Perth Zoo.

"They're a very cheeky, clever and gregarious group who love getting up to mischief," she said.

"Bay is the leader of the pack and usually instigates all the mischief, whilst Jambi is the more tentative of the boys."

Habitat loss in the wild has meant that Asian small-clawed otters are classified as vulnerable. Wellington Zoo has encouraged visitors to help the critters worldwide by purchasing sustainable timber and paper products marked with the FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) logo.

They are the smallest of the world's 13 otter species and weigh in at no more than 5kg. They originate in the freshwater rivers, swamps and wetlands of southern and southeastern Asia.

Their method of catching food with their feet sets the Asian small-clawed otter apart from other otter species, which use their mouths to catch prey.

Otters are social animals and normally live in family groups of up to 12 -so it's good to hear these five brothers will continue to stick together.