IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin

©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group

Volume 37 Issue 1 (April 2020)

Abstracts

The Situation of Pet Otters in Japan – Warning by Vets
Pages 71 - 79 (Article)
Yumiko Okamoto, Naoki Maeda, Masakazu Hirabayashi, and Natsumi Ichinoh
Clinical data for 20 pet otters treated at two animal hospitals in Japan was collected from August 2010 to May 2019. Most otters were in a critical condition or already dead when they were brought to the hospital. All otters were identified as Asian small-clawed otters and kept privately at the owner’s house or otter café. Nine of the otters were considered to have been imported illegally (No.4-8 and No.13). Regarding the diseases suffered, kidney stones were seen most frequently, then pneumonia and the third was dehydration. Most of the otters looked thin due to inadequate nutrition. An inappropriate environment was the most common cause of diseases in pet otters, followed by inadequate nutrition and then stress. Two otters with stress-related illness were kept in the same otter café, where petting by people unknown to them could have caused their condition. Although laws regarding to Asian small-clawed otters in Japan was changed in August 2019 according to the change of CITES rank from II to I, the monitoring on the domestic otter market should be kept until the situation is improved. In conclusion: firstly, owners should be aware of basic husbandry of Asian small-clawed otters before owning one, and secondly, improvement on management system of captive otters, and enforcement of such regulations is a key factor for more effective otter protection in Japan. From the point of view of animal welfare, the current situation of pet otters in Japan has to be improved as soon as possible to prevent more tragic deaths. We hope that this information can contribute to a better management and protection of otters.
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An Assessment of Human Attitudes towards Otters in Mbinga District, Tanzania
Pages 81 - 97 (Article)
William Mgomo, Jan Reed-Smith
A questionnaire survey was conducted among rural residents of the Mbinga district of southern Tanzania. Two hundred and fifty people, between ages 15 and 84 were interviewed, comprising farmers, farmer/fishermen, fishermen, and others. Information was collected on respondents’ awareness of the two otter species (Aonyx capensis and Hydrictis maculicollis), their likes and dislikes of otters, damage to equipment, netted fish, fish in ponds, perceived impact on fish populations, traditional lore, and what uses are made of otters. Opinions on the future conservation and management of otters were elicited. All responses were correlated with the tribal affiliation, occupations, sex and ages of respondents. Findings will be used to better understand the local inhabitants’ opinions and attitudes regarding otters and guide the creation of freshwater conservation outreach materials to address the needs of people and wildlife. The development of this future program will emphasize the need to empathize with human economic requirements and perceptions when creating an acceptable and workable plan to benefit the conservation of otters and their environment.
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Influence of Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) on Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) evaluated by Activity Density Estimates in Anthropogenic Habitats in Eastern Germany
Pages 98 - 119 (Article)
Markus Brugger, Maik Jährig, Jan Peper, Carsten Nowak, Berardino Cocchiararo, and Hermann Ansorge
The semiaquatic mammalian species Eurasian beaver Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758 and Eurasian otter Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758) simultaneously occur in European freshwater ecosystems. Knowledge about the interaction between the two species can be helpful in the prediction of species distribution and colonization. The present study compares beaver and otter activity densities of the winter season 2015/2016 in anthropogenic habitats in eastern Germany. Beaver activity was assessed using tree cuts, otter activity using spraints. The results indicated that otter activity was only slightly influenced by beaver activity (2 % less otter activity for a unit increase in beaver activity, P=0.013), probably because the study area already provides optimal hunting grounds in terms of fish supply for the otter. Additional results obtained from biennial camera trap data, collected between 2015 and 2017, pointed to temporal segregation of the two species during low water periods (P<0.0001). According to our population size estimates for the otter using DNA microsatellite markers and rarefaction, the study area is densely populated by otters (1.46 otters per km river shoreline), whereas the beaver population size, based on identification of territories, indicated suboptimal habitat conditions (1.15 beavers per km shoreline)
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Opportunistic Smooth-Coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) Sightings Record in the Bardiya National Park of Nepal
Pages 120 - 126 (Report)
Ashish Bashyal and Bhupendra Prasad Yadav
The Smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata is one among three species of otters found in Nepal. Although L. perspicillata has been classified as ‘Endangered’ nationally, there is a serious lack of information on various aspects of its natural history in Nepal including the Bardiya National Park (NP). We surveyed 118 km of the Karnali and Babai rivers from February 3-13, 2017 to record opportunistic sightings of L. perspicillata and its behaviour in the Bardiya NP. We directly sighted a total of 27 individuals of L. perspicillata including 14 in the Karnali and 13 in the Babai with relative densities of and 0.23/km in the Karnali and 0.22/km in Babai. Similarly, we also observed interspecific interaction between a large group of L. perspicillata and Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in the eastern channel of the Karnali. The 46 km stretch of Babai and 30 km stretch of the Karnali river (eastern channel also referred to as Geruwa) within the jurisdiction of the core-protected area of the Bardiya NP has habitat only little modified and with relatively low anthropogenic disturbances owing to stringent protection level, and could be crucial to ensure long-term conservation of L. perspicillata in and around the Bardiya NP. Our findings establish a good preliminary baseline for L. perspicillata populations in the Bardiya NP and importantly for the Babai.
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Implications of the new Mandatory Registration System for Captive Asian Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinereus) in Japan
Pages 127 - 130 (Symposium Report)
Yumiko Okamoto and Hiroshi Sasaki
The Asian Otter Conservation Society of Japan (AOCSJ) was established by Japanese otter researchers on October 1st, 2019 to boost conservation activities affecting otters. Illegal trade of captive Asian small-clawed otters is one of the most serious animal welfare problems in Japan and a new regulation system for this species started on November 26th, as a result of the change in CITES Appendices rank from II to I in August, 2019. To educate the public about this, and to discuss it with them, a symposium was held by the AOCSJ on November 3rd, 2019. At this symposium, four presentations and a panel discussion were shared with an audience of 55 people, including several media journalists. Important points from these presentations were 1) several behaviors of owners including renting, borrowing, giving and receiving otters will be regulated under the Law for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (LCES), not only buying and selling; 2) the registration number, registration date and expired date will be needed when selling Asian small-clawed otters based on LCES; 3) stricter rules and publicity should be applied to this registration, and clear rules are necessary to make sure only legally held individual otters can be registered in the future. AOCSJ will continue working to raise awareness and facilitate public behavior changes with regard to otters, to support more effective conservation of wild populations by reducing, and we hope to remove the pressure from the Japanese pet trade on Asian small-clawed otters.
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