IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
© IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group

Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 59 - 99 (October 2000)

Abstracts

Records of the Giant Otter, Pteronura brasiliensis, from Guyana
Pages 65 - 74 (Report)
Adrian Barnett, Rebecca Shapley, Shawn Lehman, Everton Henry, Paul Benjamin
Abstract
The results of interviews and surveys of status of the giant otter are presented. These include information on Pteronura brasiliensis on the upper Potaro River and other rivers in Guyana. Suggestions are made for future work on giant otters on the Potaro Plateau. These include monitoring the effects of mining, studies of mercury poisoning, ecotourism feasibility studies and autecological studies.
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Results of an Initial Field Survey for Otters (Lutra lutra) in Jordan
Pages 75 - 79 (Article)
Claus Reuther, Lina Rifai, Mayas Qarcas, Mohamad Abu Baker, Zuhair S. Amr
Abstract
An initial field survey for signs of the Eurasian otter, in accordance with the 'Standard Method', was carried out between September and October 2000 in four of the eight permanent watercourses of Jordan. At 7 of the 13 sites surveyed, signs (spraints, footprints) of the otter were found. The results indicate that at least the Rivers Yarmuk and Jordan host an otter population over most of those stretches forming the borders to Syria, Israel, and Palestine. The importance of this population is discussed in the light of its position at the southeastern border of the Mediterranean-Arab range of the Eurasian otter. First agreements for further activities to study the ecology of the otter in this area are introduced.
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New Findings of Otters (Lutra lutra) in Israel
Pages 80 - 82 (Report)
Claus Reuther and Amit Dolev
Abstract:
Until the mid 20th century, otters were abundant in the coastal regions and long the Jordan River.  Hunting by fish breeders, water pollution and drainage work has dramatically reduced the population.  The authors found evidence of otters along the Jordan down to the Dead Sea, continuing the work done in Jordan.  Because of arid conditions, this may be an isolated population.  More work is needed to clarify this.
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Avian Predation by Captive Otters
Pages 83 - 84 (Report)
Rosemary Green
Abstract:
During fifteen years of keeping otters, no predation on birds was observed until the winter of 1999-2000. Freshly killed birds offered to otters had not apparently been recognised as food. In the winter of 1999, a sub-adult captive otter stalked and killed a variety of birds - two pheasants, two gulls, a thrush and a goose. Otters in the adjacent pen caught and ate a heron.
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Otter Lutra lutra Predating Dragonflies
Pages 84 - 85 (Report)
Michael P. Bailley
In June 2000, the author found spraints and other signs indicating that at least one otter had been eating quantities of adult Four-Spotted Chasers (Libellula quadrimaculata) common at the location, on the coastal raised bog of Cors Fochno in west Wales.
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Geology and Otters
Pages 85 - 88 (Report)
Paul Yoxon
Eight years research by IOSF into otter distribution on Skye has explored the relationship between geology and otter numbers to explain the differences in population density around the coast of Skye. 60% of the coastline was covered during this time. The Torridon sandstones support a higher density of otters than the Tertiary intrusives, because the sandstone is characterised by more freshwater pools, a gently sloping shoreline with a boulder intertidal zone and native woodland adjacent to the High Water Mark. Literature was reviewed to seen if otter numbers could be correlated to geology elsewhere in Scotland, and this seems to be the case. The particular characteristic controlling numbers of coastal otters appears to be the number of freshwater pools adjacent to the coast.
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Helminths of the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra L. 1758) in Belorussian Polesie
Pages 89 - 90 (Report)
Vladimir V. Shimalov, Vasiliy T. Shimalov, Arthur V. Shimalov
We present the results of helminthological examinations of 25 otter carcasses (14 males and 11 females) and 117 specimens of otter faeces (spraints), collected from both natural and transformed ecosystems of Belorussian Polesie between 1981 and May of 1999. Carcasses were collected from hunters, whilst the spraints were collected along riverbanks and adjoining channels. The rate of infection of otters by helminthes, determined by dissection, was found to be 76.0%.
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The Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) in Cambodia
Page 91 (Report)
Barney Long
With the change in the political situation in Cambodia, it has been possible since 1998 to undertake conservation activities in the country.  During field work in the Cardomon mountains, a single hairy-nosed otter was seen in a market.  The author requests information on the distribution of the hairy-nosed otter in Indochina and Thailand, and additional funds to support surveys in Cambodia in February and April.
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