IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 38 Issue 1 (January 2021)
OSG Group Members News
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New Members of OSG
Since the last issue, we have welcomed 7 new members to the OSG: you can read more about them on the Members-Only pages.
Mattia Branchesi, Italy: I have worked with sharks and otters in an aquarium for ten years. I am currently involved with a group of three female otters (Aonyx cinereus), training them for veterinary purposes. I have both attended and spoken about otters at a number of conferences and workshops.
Stacy Cotey, United States: I am working with North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States, including identifying individual otters from footprints in the snow, development of a resource selection function for otter habitat selection, evaluating connectivity of the landscape for otter populations, and determining the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in the otter population.
Lyn Fisk. United Kingdom: I manage The UK Wild Otter Trust rehabilitation Centre which is on my land - design, construction and maintenance of the otter enclosures, ordering and sourcing materials, feeding the cubs (currently we have 10 cubs here), feeding the resident Eurasian otters (we have 2), monitoring and introducing young cubs for possible pairings for rehab.
Nathalie Foerster, Brazil: I have been working with Giant Otters in Brazil for three years, and I’m also a member of the Giant Otter Project, coordinated by Dr. Caroline Leuchtenberger (https://giantotterproject.com/).
Frederick Kistner, Germany: I am a member of the Wildtrack group and have been working with (and especially tracking) Eurasian Otters (Lutra lutra) for more than 7 years, in several countries. I am currently working on Wildtracks’ Footprint Identification Technology (FIT) application, using AI to classify otter footprints, and learn to predict features such as sex and age from otter tracks.
Stefan Ralević, Montenegro: I am currently surveying Montenegro for signs of otters; the last survey was incomplete and conducted 25 years ago. I also plan to work on otter diet and compare the north and south (Mediterranean coastal) part of Montenegro. Together with my colleagues, we have founded NGO Wildlife Montenegro which is the only mammal-focused NGO in the country.
Ilya Schegolev, Russia :Originally trained as a psychologist, and now a prfessional photographer, I participate in environmental protection activities aimed at drawing attention to threatened species of flora and fauna, as well as to the preservation of their biodiversity and habitats, including the European otter (Lutra lutra), living in the North-West of Russia. I alsotake part in the creation and development of otter education pages in Russian on Facebook, Instagram and Vkontakte