IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Abstracts
On the Rehabilitation of a Hand-Reared Adult Smooth-Coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata in Bihar, India
Pages 71 - 84 (Article)
Sushant Dey, Subhasis Dey, Sunil Choudhary And Nachiket Kelkar
Otter species have been rehabilitated to their wild habitats as a conservation measure across the world. Otter rehabilitation success and post-release survival are influenced by age on arrival in captivity, time spent in human contact during captivity, age-at-release, human disturbance to habitat, and interactions between captive and wild otters. Attempts for rehabilitation are relatively fewer in developing countries owing to inadequate technical and financial support. This is an important gap for research and conservation efforts in countries like India, where only a few cases of otter rehabilitation are known. In this paper we report on the successful rehabilitation of an 8-yr old adult smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata in a human-dominated floodplain landscape along the Ganga River in Bihar, India. A male otter pup was rescued from poachers in the year 2000 and hand-reared until 2008. This otter was named ‘Ganga’ and rehabilitated as an adult in May 2008 after a soft-release program in the river, which took 42 days. Until 1.5 years later, Ganga was occasionally re-sighted with a wild otter pack, until he was found dead in March 2016. We report the technical details of and constraints faced in the rehabilitation, along with associated behavioral observations on Ganga in captivity, during release, and his interactions with wild otters. We demonstrate through this case that the success of rehabilitation through soft-release procedures was a key factor that ensured excellent post-release survival of Ganga in the wild. Rehabilitation success can be influenced strongly by social contexts, hence an understanding of the socio-ecological systems in which otters have to be conserved, is crucial.
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Status of the Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) in Peninsular Malaysia
Pages 85 - 96 (Report)
Katrina Fernandez
An individual, of one of the most elusive and endangered of the otter species, the Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) was seen on the Sungai Relau in Taman Negara, Malaysia, in September 2013 almost two decades since the last recorded observation of the species in 1994, in Perak, another part of the peninsular (Baker, 2013). The project reported here was initiated in and around Taman Negara based on the 2013 observation, to gain a better understanding of the population size, habitat type, threats and the conservation measures required to improve the status of the Hairy-nosed Otter.
Unfortunately, 7 months of continuous camera trapping, riverbank surveys and observations along the Sungai Relau and the Sungai Ceruai resulted in no Hairy-nosed Otter records. However, the project confirmed the presence of Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus) and Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in and around Taman Negara National Park while highlighting a number of threats to otter species in the area and providing an overview of the attitudes of local people to otters and otter conservation, especially of the indigenous Bateq community.
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A Review of Otter Distribution Modeling: Approach, Scale, and Metrics
Pages 97 - 127 (Article)
Ana L. Quiñónez C., Todd K. Fuller, and Timothy O. Randhir
All otter species are of conservation concern and are used both as flagship species for conservation and as indicators of watershed health; consequently, identifying and understanding their distribution is a basic necessity. We reviewed the published literature to identify otter distribution modeling efforts worldwide and then compiled information on the different metrics/variables used, what information is commonly available and what may be required, what different results can be obtained with different models, and model limitations. We identified 29 studies of 8 species that used 4 main methods of modeling otter distribution across a given area or the relationship between otter species and certain environmental factors. The studies modeled distribution across a variety of scales, including local, regional, country, continental, and at the geographic extent of the species. We cataloged 301 different environmental metrics used in otter models, which we then sorted into six main categories: anthropogenic disturbance, climate, terrestrial, aquatic, and biological interaction. Food, water availability and quality, and anthropogenic influences are all regularly identified as important variables correlating with otter distribution, but they are often measured in a variety of ways, or identified in models by proxy or surrogate variables because relevant data availability is low or absent. Scale, approach, and metric selection all need to be carefully considered for each study, but understanding measurement issues and model shortcomings identified by others should help improve otter modeling in the future. Review of information in this review paper can inform future efforts in modeling processes, data types used, data gathering methods, and variables/metrics to include. This information should still be carefully evaluated for use to specific study areas, species of interest, and as a basis for developing innovative, and more effective methods.
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Smooth-Coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata receives Formal Protection in Indonesia, but Small -Clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus does not
Pages 128 - 130 (Short Note)
Lalita Gomez and Chris R. Shepherd
The illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia is a major threat to a long and growing list of species. Otters are no exception and recent research has shown the trade in otters as pets in Indonesia is on the rise. While it is illegal to capture and trade otters from the wild in Indonesia, until recently only two of the four native otter species received formal legal protection, and the remaining two species were protected by an insubstantial zero-harvest quota. Recently, the government of Indonesia has provided full legal protection to the Smooth-coated Otter, however, and unfortunately, the Small-clawed Otter remains absent from the list of protected species in Indonesia, and therefore more vulnerable to exploitation.
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