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IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin Volume 26 Issue 2 Pages 65 - 131 (October 2009) OSG Group Members News
New Members of OSG Thus far this year, we have welcomed 15 new members to the OSG: you can read more about them on the Members-Only pages. Masood Arshad, Pakistan: I am Programme manager for the Pakistan Wetlands Programme, organising the conservation of Wetlands Dependent Biodiversity especially the endemic Indus Dolphin, highly traded softshelled turtles, severely hunted populations of crocodile, Hog Deer and the ruthlessly killed species of otters. Pakistan is lucky to host two species of otters (Eurasian Otter and the Smooth Coated Otter). Both species are facing risk and are threatened. We have initiated efforts to conserve both the species and have worked in 2007 and also in 2008 on this programme. Lyca Sandrea G. Castro, Phillippines: My team and I are working on surveying for Asian small-clawed otters on Palewan, Phillippines Gareth DaBell, United Kingdom: I work with two female Asian Small-Clawed Otters at the Lakes Aquarium. I am particularly interested in the role of training in otter welfare, specifically using training to overcome behavioural problems. I also plan to privately establish an otter boarding facility for zoo otters that need a temporary home whilst a permanent home is being found for them; I can also offer behavioural assessment and modification for these animals. Ruth Davidson, Indonesia: I am hand-raising an orphaned Asian Small-Clawed Otter cub in Jakarta. I am actively involved with informal community education about the otters in our area, and am looking into possibilties for otter rehabilitation here Morten Elmeros, Denmark: I work on applied research and management of mammals, focusing on carnivore population dynamics and spatial ecology, and monitoring of carnivores and bats, landscape ecology including fragmentation and fauna passages, environmental impact assessment, management plans, environmental capacity building and ecotoxicological risk assessment. Allison Ford, USA: I am the new Executive Director of the Otter Project, looking after Sea Otters in California Charlie Hamilton James, United Kingdom: A professional wildlife cameraman and photographer, I have spent many years filming otters, as well as having practical experience of rearing otters for rehabilitation/release. I am currently working on underwater camera trapping of otters. I am keen not only to learn more about otters but hopefully be of some use to other people studying otters. Waseem Ahmad Khan, Pakistan: By membership of this group, I hope tp fully utilize my expertise for natural resources management, specifically biodiversity conservation, environmental sustainability, Natural history museology, scientific research, and project planning & management for a better environment in the country. Reinhard Klenke, Germany: I work on Sustainable Development of Forest Landscapes in the Northeastern Lowlands of Germany. I am also active in analysis and modelling of habitat suitability of selected species of birds and mammals, behavioural ecology, Population ecology, Landscape ecology, Evolutionary biology, Applied computer science (Ecological modelling, Databases). I am interested in Island biogeography, Metapopulation theory and Evolutionary epistemology Rachel Kuhn, France:I have worked on otters for many years, in France and then in Germany at the Otter-Zentrum. My PhD is on the Comparative analysis of structural and functional hair coat characteristics, including heat loss regulation, in the Lutrinae (Carnivora: Mustelidae). I currently work for the French Mammal Society (SFEPM) on the editing of the National Action Plan for Otters. Ivan Rubiano, Colombia: I am a veterinarian with
extensive experience in the rearing and rehabilitating of orphaned
Giant Otter cubs. I am an advisor to the OSG
Captive Otter Taskforce Katrin Ruff, Germany: I did my PhD on Nutrition and energetics of otters, and am now working for OtterFranken, establishing a habitat corridor connecting the Czech Republic through Upper Franconia in Germany to Luxembourg and Belgium to connect the eastern and western European otter populations. I am nutrition advisor to the OSG Captive Otter Taskforce Steven Schaefer, USA: Since I was a child I have been interested in otters. I graduated from Columbia University majoring in Biology and did my course work for a degree in wildlife biology at University of Vermont. While there I did a paper on otter populations by comparing trapping records and interviewing trappers. I have recently retired from a career as a lawyer and want to get back into the Biology. I helped start a 501c (non-profit) corporation that does mostly Manatee work. I serve on the board and do a lot of volunteer work capturing, tagging and monitoring of manatees. The name of the group is sea@shore Alliance and the web site is sea2shore.org. At this point I would like to try to do a population study on the otters in this area. Graham Scholey: I have been working actively in otter conservation for 22 years. I am currently Conservation Team Leader for the Environment Agency in West Area, Thames Region, where I have worked in the Conservation department since 1991. I am responsible for ensuring the safeguard and enhancement of ecological assets and habitat integrity related to the water environment with respect to the operational (eg river maintenance), regulatory and advisory work of the Agency, which is Europe's largest government environmental regulator. Since 2001 I have chaired the UK Otter Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Steering Group, have led on UK BAP reporting for the otter, and am closely involved in a number of related issues such as policy and funding for otter post-mortem and tissue analysis, roadkill prevention, surveillance and monitoring, conflicts with fisheries interests (now a growing area of controversy), accidental mortality in fish traps, various research studies and proposals, rehabilitation of injured otters, etc. I currently have an executive role in overseeing the fifth national otter surveys of England and Wales and secured the funding for the former. Chris Shepherd, Malaysia: I have been working for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia for many years and have been recording evidence and observations on Smooth-coated and Small-clawed Otters mainly in Malaysia. The trade in otters in Asia is a field I am having a close look at. This is becoming a huge problem, with shipments of thousands at a time becoming a regular issue, mostly coming from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh. Roberta Silva, Brazil: Otters are very special for me. Since 2003, I have been working with both otter species that occur in Brazil (the giant and the neotropical otter), and I could see how interesting these animals are and how little we know about them. Many studies still must be done with these species to learn more about their biology and ecology in order to make the right decisions about their conservation. In 2010 I intend to travel and study in South Africa and work with conservation of other otter species with the aim of coming back to Brazil and apply the knowledge acquired there for the conservations of Brazilian otters.Aleš Toman, Czech Republic: I am the OSG Captive Otter Taskforce veterinary advisor. Tran Quang Phuong, Vietnam: For the last ten years, I have been working in practical conservation in Vietnam. I currently manage a species conservation program focusing on carnivores and pangolins, and am organising a survey for L. sumatrana in the U Minh wetlands. Daniel Willcox, Vietnam: I am currently working as the field research advisor for the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program (CPCP) in Vietnam, designing fieldwork studies on priority species of carnivore and pangolin throughout Vietnam, and training local conservation officers. James Williams, United Kingdom: Chairman of the Somerset Otter Group, James has been an active otter surveyor for many years. He has been keeping records on otter populations in Somerset and East Devon since 1967, written a book, "The Otter Among Us", and is co-author on several recent papers. He is Rob Williams' father (see below). Rob Williams, Peru: I am the Director
of Frankfurt Zoological Society’s Andes-Amazon
Conservation Programme and have been in charge of the Giant
Otter project in Peru since 2006. He is the son of James Williams (above). |
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