Eurasian Otter are still undergoing training to be released into the wild.
October 16, 2026
In February 2026, two Eurasian Otter arrived at Tama Zoo from Seoul Zoo in South Korea. This marks the first time Eurasian Otter have been exhibited at Tama Zoo.
The two animals that arrived at the zoo are named "Dal" (male, 8 years old) and "Byol" (female, 3 years old). Dal means "moon" in Korean, and Byol means "star" in Korean. Eight months have passed since their arrival in October, and they are getting used to things, but I'd like to talk about their still unfamiliar free-roaming training.
After being released into the enclosure, the two animals were very active, chasing and eating the loaches that had been placed in the pool. However, once they finished eating, both Dal and Byol would often settle down in the caves within the enclosure at first. The release training began during the hot summer months, and the caves were exposed to direct sunlight, raising concerns about the temperature inside becoming too high.
So we started putting ice in the cave. Byol reacted well to the ice, pushing it with his nose and moving it around. After a while, as he got used to the enclosure, he started resting in places other than the cave more often.
Daru, in particular, would often sleep in various places, such as on the concrete-paved area or inside the box. There are two large depressions in the enclosure, filled with gravel. A box is placed in these depressions. It was placed there so that the otters could rest inside, but recently both of them have learned to crawl under the box, into the gap between the box and the gravel. When the otters crawl under the box, it often looks like there is nothing in the enclosure.
I felt that there were significant differences between individual animals during the release training. I thought that Dal, the male, would do reasonably well since he had been allowed out into the exhibit area at Seoul Zoo.
On the other hand, the female Byol was very cautious and took time to adjust to her new environment, taking more than 30 minutes before she was first allowed out into the enclosure. The enclosure seemed to be an unpleasant place for Byol, as she would immediately return to her room as soon as the door to her room was opened, so the relocation was going well.
However, as he gradually got used to his surroundings and settled into a designated spot in the enclosure, it started taking longer to bring him back inside. Even recently, it still takes some time to get him in. When we open the door, he comes right up to it, comes in just a little, doesn't go into the room, and then goes back outside. He must know that there's food inside the room, but he's reluctant to come in. It looks like it will still take some time before Byol gets used to things.
Currently, Oriental Small-clawed Otter and Eurasian Otter share one enclosure, so for the time being, Eurasian Otter will continue to have their release practice sessions in the afternoon.
[Tama Zoo, Tama Zoological Park]