Eurasian Otter will be coming from Korea (*The arrival date has been decided)

news
Updated on February 3, 2026

Tama Zoo will be welcoming Eurasian Otter from Seoul Grand Park (Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as "Korea"). This will be the first time that Eurasian Otter will be kept at the zoo.

Eurasian Otter visiting the zoo

name Dal
sex Male
age 7 years old
date of birth July 16, 2018
Born in Seoul Grand Park

Dal (male), a visiting Eurasian Otter (Photo courtesy of Seoul Grand Park)

name Byeol
sex female
age 2 years old
date of birth June 16, 2023
Born in Seoul Grand Park

Planned visit date

~~Wednesday, January 21, 2026~~

※

Depending on the animals' condition, the transfer may be postponed or canceled.

※

Update, January 19, 2026: Due to additional procedures required for the move, the schedule has been postponed. We will inform you again once the new travel date has been decided.

※

Update added on February 3, 2026: The date of the visit has been set for Monday, February 9th.

background

In Japan, the Japanese river otter, a subspecies of Eurasian Otter *, was last recorded to have lived there in 1979 and was listed as an extinct species in the Ministry of the Environment's Red List 2012. Meanwhile, Eurasian Otter live in neighboring South Korea, where their population once declined, but thanks to conservation efforts, surveys since 2000 have confirmed a recovery trend.

Korea's Eurasian Otter are now a rare species that is attracting attention for their ecology and conservation, and can even be seen in rivers within the capital city of Seoul.

For these reasons, our zoo has been collecting information with the aim of promoting conservation activities for rare wild animals and strengthening environmental education functions through the captive breeding of Korean Eurasian Otter, and has now decided to accept two Korean Eurasian Otter, a male and a female, from Seoul Grand Park in South Korea.

In the future, we plan to exhibit a comparison of Asian Oriental Small-clawed Otter and Eurasian Otter, which are already being kept at the zoo, as well as introduce the current situation and conservation efforts of the extinct Japanese river otter and Eurasian Otter in South Korea. (Source: Ministry of the Environment Red List 2020)

About the release

They will be quarantined in a closed area for a while.
We will announce the release date as soon as it is decided.

　Breeding status at our zoo (as of December 25, 2025) 0 head
*We do not raise these animals at our zoo.

　Domestic breeding situation (as of December 31, 2024) 28 animals in 13 facilities (11 males, 17 females)
Source: Eurasian Otter Domestic Studbook [Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums]

(December 25, 2025)
(January 19, 2026: Additional information regarding the postponement of visits)
(February 3, 2026: Additional information regarding visit dates)