KEY POINTS:
Jin, the famous otter who escaped from Auckland Zoo and evaded capture for almost a month, was moved to a new home at Wellington Zoo yesterday.
Four-year-old Jin and her partner Jala, who were moved to the zoo as part of an Australasian breeding programme, were released into their new home at 10am.
Jin first caught the media attention when she escaped from Auckland Zoo in June 2006, digging through two walls and scaling a 1.8m high barrier to freedom.
She was re-captured near Rangitoto Island after 26 days on the run.
Wellington Zoo spokeswoman Amy Hughes said everything went well yesterday.
"They looked quite excited and went straight for a swim when they came out so that was cool."
The turnout to see the otters was particularly good because of the school holidays. "The kids were really excited to see them come out on their first day."
The otters should feel at home in their enclosure which zookeepers have spent a week creating - a dry river bed similar to that which otters in southeast Asia live.
- NZPA
