Zoo welcomes new Asian short-clawed otters
BBCA zoo has introduced two new Asian short-clawed otters in the hope that they will eventually breed.
A huge database is used by zoos around the world to track animals and support conservation breeding programmes.
Suitable breeding pairs are identified on the database to maximise genetic diversity and ensure healthy, sustainable breeding programmes for the species
Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, is now home for male Rizzo and female Thien than, who were collected from London Zoo and Woburn Zoo Safari Park in Bedfordshire respectively.
The BBC went behind the scenes with the Marwell Zoo team and followed the otter pair on their journey to Hampshire.
Georgie Kiff, carnivore keeper at Marwell Zoo, started on July 30 at 07:00 BST to ensure that they were back before the zoo closed.
"We're going to Woburn Safari Park first and then we'll collect [Thien than], pop her in our van," Kiff said.
She explained that the team provides the otters with water and food while they travel.
"The van also has AC so that there's no risk of them getting too hot," she said, as the collection is taking place on a hot day.
It took more than an hour to encourage the female otter into her travel crate but with a bit of help from keepers, she eventually settled down with some of her favourite snacks.
A towel was placed over the box so she had plenty of shade and did not get too stressed.
Catherine Doherty is the head of section of animal encounters at Woburn Safari Park said they have been training for this for a long time.
She said: "When we found out that Thien was going to Marwell Zoo, we began doing recall training, so they are recalled to a whistle and they all come into the house and then we were able to pick-off Thien just on her own.
"It's quite a magical moment actually - she was the first otter that we bred here at Woburn Safari Park, so it's kind of full circle for us."
She added: "She's pretty special, but we're really happy that she's going to Marwell and hopefully start a family of her own."
Doherty explained a huge database, called the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), is used by zoos around the world to track animals and support conservation breeding programmes.
She said it contains detailed records for animals in participating collections, including where and when they were born, their sex, and their breeding history.
For species such as the Asian short-clawed otter, a studbook holder uses ZIMS data to analyse genetics across zoo populations.
They identify the most suitable breeding pairs to maximise genetic diversity and ensure healthy, sustainable breeding programmes for the species.
After picking up male otter, Rizzo, from London Zoo, and a quick stop to check on the pair, the team arrived back at Marwell Zoo about 18:00.
Kiff explained how they are both kept separate for a night before being introduced to each other.
She said: "Because they're two separate otters from different zoos we want to make sure that they're nice and happy when we mix them.
"We put them in a smaller habitat so we can mix them with a bit more control, make sure that we can keep observations on them the entire time and then once they're happy with each other, then we can bring them into their new habitat."
