IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin

©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group

Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 1- 60 (January 2011)

OSG Group Members News
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OSG Members in the News

Website and Mailing List Move to New Hosts

Because the OSG website is large, and well-used, we had outgrown our long-time web host, AbodeHosting.com, and needed a new home. The website is now hosted by Fat Cow, and we have, effectively, unlimited space available.  The new host is also less expensive, but does not offer a mailing list facility.  As a solution, we are now using Yahoo! Groups as a mailing list provider, with all non-mailing list options disabled.  The move of the website and OSG mailing list was completed on 25th April and took about a month to do.  The continental mailing lists for the Americas are finished, Europe is almost completed, and Africa and Asia are still to be made.

New Members of OSG

Since the last issue, we have welcomed 23 new members to the OSG: you can read more about them on the Members-Only pages.

Lynda Burrill, UK: Lynda has taken over from Jo Elliot as European Otter EEP studbook keeper; Jo has moved onto other work and so has left the OSG.

Bosco Chan, China: Otters always fascinate me and I have always been concerned about the conservation of these animals. Unfortunately, very little have been done on the study and conservation of otters in China, and many populations may have quietly gone extinct. I hope to contribute to their future survival in our region by being a member of the OSG.

Will Duckworth, Lao PDR: I am a wildlife surveyor and conservation advisor, focussing upon birds and field-identifiable large mammals in South-east Asia, particularly Lao PDR. I am thus not an otter specialist, but because of the desperate conservation status of otters in much of SE Asia, reflecting that of their habitats and aggravatd by directed hunting for them, they often receive high profile in my survey reports and management recommendations.

Vittoria Elliot, Cambodia: I am a field ecologist with particular expertise in mammals and molecular ecology. I am currently working in Tonle Sap lake, Cambodia, on the distribution and abundance of Hairy-nosed Otters, applying molecular techniques and protocols.

Laura Lerone, Italy: I started studying otters in 2008-2009 during a one year grant on Lontra longicaudis in Sonora (Mexico). In 2010 I worked as field assistant in Portugal in a project on radio tracking of the Eurasian otter. At present I’m PhD student at the University “RomaTre”. My PhD project is focused on non-invasive genetic sampling of Lutra lutra at the periphery of its  Italian range. My main interests concern the social behavior and behavioral ecology of otters, particularly dispersal and territoriality. I’m also very interested in implementing camera trapping technologies for otters.

Geoff Liles, United Kingdom: I am a consultant wildlife ecologist, specializing in mammals and river ecosystems.  I have been director of the Welsh Wildlife Trusts' "Otters in Wales" project since 1979, and work actively in otter research.  I was a member of OSG for many years and am now returning to the fold.

Sotheary Lim, Cambodia: I am interested in finding out if DNA from spraint samples can be used to distinguish between species, subspecies and subspecies hybrids in wild and captive otters

Ferdia Marnell, Ireland: I work for the Irish National Parks & Wildlife Service as Head of Animal Ecology, coordinating national mammal survey and monitoring programmes but also initiating and facilitating research projects on important species where necessary to inform national conservation policy. I coordinated the last national otter survey in Ireland and am also project officer for NPWS on the current national survey which is due to report next year. I was lead author on Ireland's recent Red Data List of Irish mammals.

Tina Mumm, Germany: I am a PhD student working on giant otter vocalisations here in Germany, and also in Peru.

Marcia Munick, Brazil: Marcia has worked on Giant Otter ecology for eight years, including radio-telemetry.

Sarah Paul, United Kingdom:  I have been the research assistant for the Cardiff University Otter Project since October 2010 and prior to this carried out my undergraduate project on Eurasian otter (L. lutra) scent communication with Eleanor Kean. Current research areas include work on kidney stones and spatial patterns in phenotypic variation of the L. lutra in the UK.

Nisarg Prakash, India: Hi, I'm Nisarg, a wildlife biologist from India. I have previously surveyed for small-clawed otters in the Western Ghats, and worked on the impact of land-use on their occurrence and habitat-use.

Patricia Rosas-Ribeiro, Brazil: I studied the conflict between fishermen and giant otters in Western Brazilian Amazon and I currently monitor Neotropical otter and giant otter populations in the influence area of a hydroelectric dam that is being built in Madeira River. I have interest in the areas of applied ecology and conservation.

Myfanwy Rowlands, USA: My particular interest is in developing the use of remote underwater photography to observe otters in the aquatic environment.

Melissa Savage, USA: Director of the Four Corners Institute in New Mexico. a partner in the New Mexico River Otter Working Group; currently fundraising for an otter-related project in South America

Anthony Sebastian, Malaysia: Co-founder of Aonyx Consultancy, based in Kuching, East Malaysia, offering specialist services to environmental and development projects in Asia, the Middle East and Oceania.  Strategic use of otters as wetland ambassador species to maximise opportunities for conservation-friendly development.

Ellie Sherrard-Smith, United Kingdom: As part of the Cardiff University Otter Project, I am working on otter parasites. Pseudamphistomum truncatum and Metorchis albidus (Platyhelminthes, Opistorchiidae) have been recently identified in the UK and together with the native tick species, Ixodes hexagonus (Acari, Ixodidae), comprise the main macroparasitic fauna of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, in the UK. This presents a rare opportunity to study the dynamics of an invasive parasite on an island system. 

Sabine Stolzenberg, Germany: My interest is the conservation of otters in the wild. Accordingly my work has been focussed on studying otter distribution and the identification of potential threats and/or barriers in the landscape. I have worked on Lutra lutra and am about to start an internship studying Lutrogale perspicillata in Malaysia.

Alexandra Switzer, USA: I am a veterinarian who is currently working on a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, on classifying the oral and rectal microbiota of sea otters. I have also worked on attitudes to predation by mountain lions, jaguars and cheetahs, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, other microbiological studies, and also a workshop on Avian Influenza in Bandar Lampung,Indonesia.

Meryl Theng, Singapore: Meryl is studying the ecology of the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Singapore for her at the National University of Singapore under the supervision of Mr. N. Sivasothi. She will be widening her study to look at diet, population distribution and activity patterns of the species in Singapore.

Cristine Trinca, Brazil: I have been worked with conservation genetics with emphasis on genetic diversity, phylogeography, and demographic parameters of the Neotropical otter. My studies are focused on the analysis of different types os molecular markers and samples, including the use of non-invasive sampling, such as scats and hair.

Juan Valqui, Peru:  I am currently working on a population genetics study of Lontra felina using non-invasive smapling along the Peruvian coast. At the same time, threats to the species are being assessed, and we are holding environmental education workshops in fishing ports.

Jitka Větrovcová, Czech Republic: monitoring techniques, research on ecology, behaviour, population dynamics, modelling, conservation approaches, solutions to conflicts with fisheries

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