IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin

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

Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 59 - 122 (June 2010)

OSG Group Members News
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News Items Involving OSG Members

New Members of OSG

Thus far this year, we have welcomed 17 new members to the OSG: you can read more about them on the Members-Only pages.

Daniel Allen, United Kingdom: My research interests lie within cultural and historical geography with a focus on cultures of hunting, human-animal relations, nature-society interactions, and, landscape and identity. I have written a book ("Otter") on how the otter’s identity has been shaped by a variety of human interactions, which will be published in October 2010

Hugues Akpona, Benin: I work on the ecology and ethnozoology of tree pangolin (Manis tricuspis), mongoose species (Crossarchus obscures; Herpestes ichneumon and Atilax paludinosus) and spotted necked otters (Lutra maculicollis) in Benin. My primary research was on fisherman-otter conflicts and implications for conservation. One of my goals is to link science with policy making since main research results are not integrated and capitalized on by conservationists in Benin. Considering that, I had organised many awareness and workshops to share research results and get stakeholders to be aware of biodiversity loss. I am the national Manager of the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) of the Convention on biological Diversity (CDB) in Benin (bj.chm-cbd.net), have worked on the Benin Red List, and was an associate consultant for the elaboration of the 4th national report on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Johanna Arrendal, Sweden: My interest in otters led to studies at university level, which resulted in a PhD in conservation genetics of L. lutra. Today I work as a consultant with focus on otters (surveys, national action plan, national survey techniques, fauna passages, talks and field excursions at university level as well as for the public).

Margherita Bandini, Italy: After a year of research with Lorenzo Quaglietta in southern Portugal, I am now writing my thesis to obtain my master's degree in Animal Behaviour ("Evoluzione del Comportamento Animale e dell'Uomo") at the University of Torino. My study area concerns the marking behaviour of the Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra in a typical Mediterranean habitat. 

Emmelianna Bujak, United Kingdom: I am using non-invasive techniques to investigate the reproduction of Eurasian otters. Working with several zoological collections in Europe, I quantify the reproductive hormones in spraints in order to characterize the female oestous cycle. I am also working with Cardiff University Otter Project in a study investigating whether reproductive information is communicated in otter spraint via scent. 

Jorge Cárdenas-Callirgos, Peru: My research is about wildlife parasitology and zoonotic diseases, in specific about marine otter health. My aim is to collect fecal samples and diet information about the marine otter population of Peruvian coast. Then I can compare different populations and find out if parasites could be a bioindicator of the diet and population tags.

Hanne Christensen, Luxemburg: My PhD thesis was on "Determinants of Otter (Lutra lutra) Distribution in Norway. Effects of Harvest, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Human Population Density and Competition with mink". The last year I have been working as a teacher at the European school here in Luxembourg (Integrated science) and teaching ecotoxicology at the University of Trier, Germany.

Pablo García Díaz, Spain: My research work with otters in Spain deals with their behavioural ecology, as a way to obtain the most comprehensive possible picture of their population ecology. For accomplishing such a work, I’m doing an intensive fieldwork, since 2005, in a variety of habitats from Central Spain (from floodplains rivers to mountain reservoirs). Particularly, I’m interested in how food resources affect the general ecology of the species, in the broadest sense –from diet preferences to breeding performance, and on the reliability of methods to estimate population abundance, as this is a crucial parameter.

Vania Fonseca, Brazil: I've been interested in otters for many years and started studying them in 2006, when I've been involved with dietary studies of the neotropical otter during my degree thesis in Biology. In 2008, I began working on a project with eurasian otters in southern Portugal, where I'm currently finishing my Msc thesis in Conservation Biology. Now I've just been selected for a research grant to study giant otters in the Amazon, where I'm going to assess the potential conflicts of the species with local populations. My main interests are dispersal, social behavior, diet and conservation.

Carol Heap, United Kingdom: I have been involved with otters over 35 years in a 'hands on" capacity with 4 species of otter (Asian short claw, Eurasian, North American river and Giant otter) .  Each year we care for wild born Eurasian otter cubs who have been abandoned or injured adult otters which are released back into the wild after rehabilitation.

Simon King: United Kingdom: I have been a cameraman/presenter in natural history programming for 30 years, working on many projects including Life of Mammals and Blue Planet. I have worked on the BBC's Springwatch and Autumnwatch series, often on otters, and had my own series: "Simon King's Shetland Diaries", which also featured otters, orcas and puffins. I have a website about my work: http://www.simonkingwildlife.com

Lorenzo Quaglietta, Italy: Following my innate passion and interest about otters, I've been studying them since 2004 for my undergraduate thesis in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano NationalPark (Southern Italy). Currently, I'm in the final phase of my PhD studies on the project "OPA - Otter Project in Alentejo"(Southern Portugal) of which I'm the author and coordinator. Here I've been interested to see if and how the variability in the resource availability during extreme Mediterranean droughts influence otters' space and habitat use. Following this issue, I'm currently interested on the potential impact of climate change on otters and considering to carry out a post-doc research on this topic

Maribel Recharte, Peru: I have been working on Giant river otters in the North-eastern of Peruvian Amazon since 2004, carrying out censuses on the Samiria River in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve and on the Yavarí River, the border between Peru and Brazil. I also work on the ecology and behaviour of giant river otter, identifying individuals and have conducted surveys for evidence for the presence of giant river otters in Lorteto, Peru for the Wildlife Conservation Society-Peru. Currently, I am working on fishermen–otter conflict and environmental education in site in Loreto, focusing in school children in the research area.

Suzann Speckman, USA: I am a biologist with the northern sea otter program, Marine Mammals Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). We are located in Anchorage, Alaska. Our role within this federal agency is management of northern sea otter populations and regulation of activities that may impact them.

Lucy Spelman, USA: Otters have occupied a special place in my heart ever since I read Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell. There’s something very endearing about these athletic, powerful, and playful animals.  As a young child, I didn’t understand that Maxwell’s (Asian small clawed) otter was a product of the wildlife trade.  Nor did I have any idea of the potential damage done to an ecosystem by allowing non-native species to run wild.  I was probably also confused about freshwater versus marine otters and how many different kinds there were of each.  Sadly, few people know these basic facts even today. Toward this end, I write a blog about otters, based on the ongoing conservation program at Karanambu in Guyana.  It’s called, “Helping Otters—Big and Small.”    Here’s the link: http://savingotters.wildlifedirect.org/   For more about my background/bio, please see my website www.drlucyspelman.com

Jo Thompson, Democratic Republic of Congo: In 1995 I cared for a Congo Clawless Otter pup at my field site in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was happily thrust into the world of otter conservation.  Since that experience, I have continued to survey and raise awareness about Africa's otters.  In 2004 I produced and have widely distributed in the DRCongo an educational pamphlet about Africa's otters.  I continue to work for their conservation and to gain information about their status.

Juliana Vianna, Chile: My interest is conservation genetics and my PhD thesis I studied the phylogeny and phylogeography of the four otter species found in South America.

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