IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin

© IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group

Volume 32 Issue 1 (January 2015)

Abstracts

Occurrence of the Smooth-Coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata (Geoffroy, 1826) in Punjab, India
Pages 3 - 7 (Report)
Mohd. Shahnawaz Khan
Decline in the populations of the Smooth-coated Otter throughout its range of distribution and a perception that it is a 'keystone species' for riverine ecosystem stirred the idea of the presented paper. The species inhabits major freshwater wetlands throughout the south and south-east Asia and often comes into the direct conflict with humans for food and habitat. Further the species is also suffering with neglecting attitude and mismanagement due to lack of baseline information. Thus WWF India initiated the conservation work towards the documentation of the distribution of the species in Punjab in 2010. State wide population assessment surveys and secondary information obtained shows the occurrence of smooth-coated otters along some stretches of Rivers Beas, Sutlej and Ravi and Harike wetland in Punjab.
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A Roadkill Record of a Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) from Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia
Pages 8 - 11 (Short Report)
Heok Hui Tan
A fresh hairy-nosed otter roadkill was encountered along the Tanjung Malim-Sungei Besar Road in northern Selangor (Malaysia) in 2005. This appears to be the first fresh record of this elusive species from Selangor since 1929.
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Rediscovering the Eurasian Otter (Lutra Lutra L.) in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Notes on its Possible Expansion in Northern Italy
Pages 12 - 20 (Report)
Marco Pavanello, Luca Lapini, Andreas Kranz and Francesca Iordan
In Italy otters occur in two small populations in the South, while in the Alps they have been extinct for about 50 years. In Austria, the species is recovering and re-colonizing the Southern part of the country. The first record of the species in the Italian Alps goes back to 2008, when otters were found in the most upper catchment of the River Drau in the Region Trentino Alto Adige – South Tyrol. In the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy), in 2011 and 2012 two otters were found road killed within the catchment of the River Tagliamento. These findings prompted an otter survey, carried out in spring 2014 along the catchment of the upper Tagliamento and the Italian side of the River Slizza-Gailitz, which drains the area of Tarvisio and joins the River Drau in Austria, near Villach. The survey covered an area of 3200 km2. A total of 138 bridges and 16 stretches of 600 m were checked along the river banks for otter signs, i.e. spraints and tracks. Otter signs were found at 27 of the investigated sites, in the area of Tarvisio along the River Slizza-Gailitz (Drau catchment), but not in the catchment of the Tagliamento. Like for individuals found in Alto Adige – South Tyrol otters living in the area of Tarvisio belong to the River Drau population in Austria.
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Citizen Monitoring after an Otter Restoration (Lontra canadensis) in New Mexico, USA
Pages 21 - 24 (Report)
Melissa Savage and Jon Klingel
Citizen reports documenting sightings of river otters (Lontra canadensis) and otter sign were collected and analyzed following a restoration program on the Rio Grande watershed in northern New Mexico, USA. From 2008 to 2014, citizens turned in 170 reports of otters, tracks and scats, 51% of which were accompanied by photographs. Citizen science played an important role in documenting the dispersion of river otters from their point of release throughout the watershed.
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Recent Record of the Neotropical River Otter (Lontra longicaudis) in the Choluteca River Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Pages 25 - 29 (Report)
Francisco Aceituno, Delmy Trochez and Carmen Nuñez
We report the presence of the Neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis) in the Choluteca River, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. To date the information is the second record verifiable of the species in the Choluteca River since one in the 1940s.
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Recent Sighting of Smooth-Coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli in Hawizeh Marsh (Southern Iraq)
Pages 30 - 32 (Short Communication)
Omar F. Al-Sheikhly, Mukhtar K. Haba and Filippo Barbanera
Since 1956, there were very few sightings of Iraq Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli) especially after the Iraqi marshlands inundation.  In April 2015, male Iraq Smooth-coated Otter was trapped near Al-Edheam, in the northern part of Hawizeh Marsh (Southern Iraq). The recent sighting along with present photographic record represents very rare evidence documenting the occurrence of L. p. maxwelli otter in Iraq since the 1950s.
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First Record of Amblyomma ovale (Koch, 1844) (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitizing Lontra longicaudis (Olfers, 1818) (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in Santa Catarina Island, Florianópolis, Sc, Brazil
Pages 33 - 39 (Report)
Three female and one male Amblyomma ovale (Acari: Ixodidae) were found parasitizing a neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. This is the first record of the occurrence of A. ovale in Santa Catarina Island and the second report of this ectoparasite in a mustelid species in Brazil. A. ovale has been reported in wild carnivores in several Brazilian states and is considered one of the main predominant species of the Atlantic rainforest. The Amblyomma ticks are primarily responsible for the spread of BSF in humans. Among the species of Amblyomma infesting dogs is the A. ovale and the proximity between man and the dog favors the parasite sharing. Santa Catarina Island has many rural and wild environments shared by domestic animals, especially dogs, such as the environment where the otter was found in this study. Proper determination of tick species and their distribution in different geographical regions is essential for the understanding of the epidemiology of Rickettsiosis.
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African Otter Workshop
Pages 40 - 47 (Report)
Jan Reed-Smith, Hughes Akpona and Grace Yoxon
All concerned thought this was an excellent workshop with important progress made towards creating a viable beginning of an African Otter Network. There is a long road ahead but the 2015 African Otter Workshop is a start on developing range country partners, activists and researchers as well as collaborating on issue identification and resolution which will assist in preserving at least some refugia for Africa’s otters. A list of actions was agreed on, including the creation of an African Otter Network website and social media network, apublic Otter Awareness facebook page, encouraging online reporting of otter sightings, conducting otter awareness surveys, and emphasising the need for communication with the public, other members of the network and other professionals. information not shared or documented is information LOST. A Second African Otter Workshop should be held in 2017 elsewhere in Africa to encourage attendance from a wider range of countries.
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Hydroelectric Dams: The First Responses from Giant Otters to a Changing Environment
Pages 48 - 57 (Report)
Analice Maria Calaça, Odair José Faedo and Fabiano Rodrigues De Melo
The construction of hydroelectric dams has been cited as one of the threats faced by giant otter populations in their distribution areas. However, studies evaluating the impact of reservoirs on these populations are scarce and often restricted to results about the post-filling period. In this study, we present distribution and behavioral data from giant otter populations living in the Teles Pires River and tributaries, located in the municipality of Paranaíta in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, during the pre-filling period. The species showed a homogeneous distribution throughout the sample site during the initial monitoring phase; this distribution changed to sparse after the beginning of the work to remove the riparian vegetation, possibly because of intense noise and movement of people. However, otters returned during other campaigns, rebuilding destroyed dens and building new ones in recently exposed bounds, indicating a possible adaptation to the first environmental filter promoted by the project: the structural change of the environment. Two other subsequent important filters challenging the species survival are related to the loss of habitat with the rise of water levels and changes in the composition and abundance of food resources. These factors are being monitored since the filling of the Teles Pires reservoir, beginning in December of 2014, for future comparisons between the two periods.
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