The Santa Fe Teaching Zoo hosted an Otter Farewell Weekend to say goodbye to its family of seven Asian small-clawed otters.
The event was held Saturday and Sunday to help zoo visitors to celebrate and say their farewells to the otters before they are relocated to the Memphis Zoo on Wednesday.
The parents of the otter family, Duncan and Chitra, have been at the zoo since 2019, with their pups being born in 2020 and 2023. The family has been a part of the zoo’s educational programs, helping to raise awareness about otter conservation and the importance of protecting wetland ecosystems.
The Otter Farewell Weekend featured various activities, including educational talks, where visitors could watch the otters during their training sessions. There were also crafts and activities for attendees to participate in.
The decision to move the otters to the Memphis Zoo aligns with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, which ensures that animals in accredited zoos are placed in environments that support their wellbeing and offer opportunities for breeding and long-term care.
According to Jade Woodling, a conservation educator at the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo, the Memphis Zoo offered the perfect setting for the otters.
“It was an ask from the Species Survival Plan to see if our family could go to Memphis Zoo,” she said. “They have this really big, beautiful habitat.” Woodling also noted that the move came at a serendipitous time for the zoo.
The Santa Fe Teaching Zoo is currently working on a comprehensive “master plan” to enhance its exhibits, including an upgraded otter habitat.
“We’re really grateful that they get to go to this beautiful zoo and habitat and not be somewhere less ideal while we build,” Woodling said. “It’s actually really great for them, and they can all go as a family, which is really awesome.”
Zookeeper Jocelyn Flannery also mentioned that the Memphis otter exhibit will improve the welfare of the otter family.
“Of course I’m sad, because I have a good connection with the otters,” she said, “But I’m happy that they’re going somewhere that they can be happier.”
She also said she doesn’t think that the relocation of the otters is going to affect zoo attendance.
“This is a main exhibit,” she said, “but I think everyone in general just loves the zoo and loves the environment.”
According to a press release from the zoo, the otter family has been participating in FluentPet technology, which is a system of buttons that allow animals to associate words with objects and actions.
Professor in the Zoo Animal Technology Program Julie Smith said the zoo’s team has been working on training techniques to help the otters’ transition to a new zoo.
The otters will continue using the FluentPet system in Memphis.
“We have a good home, but over there, they can have a great home,” Flannery said.
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