Wandering Jin the otter to settle in Christchurch

Jin spent a month in quarantine after her tour of Auckland. Picture / Dean Purcell

Jin the otter's month-long escapade from Auckland Zoo has earned her some more travelling - a permanent move to Christchurch.

Jin is being transferred to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve as part of an Australasian breeding programme for the asiatic short-clawed otter.

She flies to Christchurch tomorrow and will be paired up with Willowbank's five-year-old male otter Jala.

Auckland Zoo curator Brooke Noonan said the zoo had planned to send two of its seven female otters to other cities prior to Jin's escape.

Her month at large around Auckland's Waitemata Harbour - and subsequent month alone in quarantine - helped convince the zoo she should be one of the otters to go.

"Integrating Jin back into the group was always going to be risky, due to the amount of time she's been away from them, and it would have been a very long, slow process," Ms Noonan said.

"Genetically she's a valuable breeding female, so the best outcome for her, and the region, is for her to go to Willowbank."

Jin fled from Auckland Zoo in Western Springs, on the southern coast of Waitemata Harbour, on June 14 after escaping from a nesting box which wasn't properly secured to the wall of the otter enclosure.

Her 26-day tour included stops on the North Shore in Birkenhead, Devonport and Narrow Neck Beach, and Rangitoto Island in the harbour.

Jin is estimated to have swum at least 20km before being caught in a trap on July 10 on Rangitoto. She had lost a third of her body weight.

Auckland Zoo senior vet Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff said Jin was now back to full health after her month in quarantine.

"She is now back to her normal weight, her head wound and the cuts and abrasions to her feet have all healed, her blood tests and x-rays are all clear and she's showing plenty of attitude," he said.

"Jin is certainly a very resilient and feisty little otter. However, she is still quite shy and nervous, most likely because she is missing the company of other otters.

"Hopefully her new beau will take care of that."

Willowbank head exotic keeper Lance Dartnall was thankful the reserve would be getting a breeding female otter, giving it the only asiatic short-clawed otter pair in the South Island.

"Jala has been at the bottom of the pecking order in this bachelor group, so it will be a wonderful opportunity for both these character otters to have company."

- NZPA