Taipei Zoo

On November 13, 2019, as part of the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Program initiated by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA), Ministry of Agriculture, a baby Eurasian otter named Jinmeng was sent to the Conservation Research Center of Taipei Zoo after being rescued from Kinmen Island. On the evening of July 28, 2023, at around six o'clock, Jinmeng gave birth to two baby otters, both brothers, who are lively and steadily growing.

When Jinmeng arrived at the Conservation Research Center of Taipei Zoo in 2019, she was just a baby otter less than one month old. In July 2023, she became a mother to two baby otters. After the birth of the two pups, Jinmeng was observed leaving the nest to gather sticks and hay for bedding. Surveillance footage showed her diligently guiding her offspring to find milk. After two days of close observation, zookeepers were relieved to see that the otter cubs were lively and vocalizing for milk.

The father of the otter cubs is Wuyou, a second-generation otter at Taipei Zoo. Once the cubs were born, Wuyou was moved to an adjacent enclosure, leaving Jinmeng to care for the pups alone.

Currently, Jinmeng and her otter cubs are housed in the research center of Taipei Zoo without visitor access. We hope that these cubs will grow up healthy and safe.

The only area in Taiwan where wild European otters can still be observed is Kinmen. However, due to ongoing development and construction activities on Kinmen Island, the otters face a survival crisis due to habitat fragmentation and human disturbances.

The Taipei Zoo has been actively involved in the conservation efforts of European otters in Kinmen. In addition to providing care for orphaned or specially-needing otter pups, our zoo has implemented a breeding program to establish an off-site population of sheltered otters. The zoo also serves as an advocate for otter conservation education, aiming to bring the people of Taiwan closer to the European otters of Kinmen.