Otters return to New Plymouth's Brooklands Zoo

The new otters are making themselves at home at NPDC's Brooklands Zoo. Photo / Supplied

To the doubtless delight of many zoo visitors, both young and old, otters have returned to New Plymouth District Council's Brooklands Zoo.

Otters haven't been at the zoo for over two years, and getting them back has involved plenty of planning, says NPDC zoo coordinator Eve Cozzi.

"Getting otters back into the zoo has been a long time in planning and we're thrilled to get not only young animals but a sizeable group of siblings."

The five female small-clawed otter siblings, aged between one and two years old, are from Dubbo Zoo in Australia and are now settling into their new home in Taranaki, she says.

"Otters are hugely popular among our visitors and we're frequently asked if we're ever getting more of them – really, they're the superstars of all our animals. I'm so happy that we can now say they're here."

An otter enjoying a mid afternoon snack. Photo / Supplied

Katara, Rani, Suki, Luna and Akira have been off-display at Brooklands Zoo for a week as part of Ministry for Primary Industry requirements, but are now in their new home between the capuchin and cotton-top tamarin monkeys.

Small-clawed otters are the smallest members of the otter family. They are highly social animals and communicate with each other by noise and scent. The otters are found in Indonesia, Southern China, Southern India, the Philippines and Southeast Asia, but their population in the wild is threatened by habitat destruction, hunting and pollution. Otters are classified as a vulnerable species.

Brooklands Zoo first opened in 1965 and is a favourite location for visitors to the region as well as residents. About 113,000 people visit the zoo each year, enjoying the chance to see the 30 native and exotic species that live there.