IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 38 Issue 2 (March 2021)
Abstracts
The First Documented Record of Hairy–Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah, Malaysia
Pages 62 - 69 (Report)
Leona Wai, Richard Burge, and Benoit Goossens
On 7th March 2020, L. sumatrana was sighted and video recorded in an oil palm plantation within the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS). This was the first documented sighting of L. sumatrana within the LKWS, which suggests that this endangered otter species still persists within the degraded landscape. In addition, on the 8th September 2020, a roadkill of a hairy-nosed otter was found at a village about 30 km from the location of the first recorded sighting of hairy-nosed otter. Based on this finding, the LKWS acts as an essential wildlife corridor for endangered species such as L. sumatrana, which connects forest reserves such as Deramakot Forest Reserve and Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Very little is known about this rare species in Sabah due to a lack of scientific research. Therefore, targeted research on L. sumatrana is urgently needed to identify important otter habitat and establish a species management plan in Sabah.
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The Social and Environmental History of the River Wye, Wales, as viewed through the changing Status of its Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) Population
Pages 70 - 78 (Report)
Fred M. Slater
The River Wye has long had a social meaning to the people of Wales and further afield beginning with the search for the “picturesque” in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, through to the recognition of its environmental value with its designation as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), a key element in that designation of the Wye and at five other such sites in Wales, is the top predator on the river and as such reflects the cumulative changes over time within the riverine food chain and environment. Historically it lived in a river of such salmonid abundance that many poor families relied on salmon as their main protein resource with plenty left for a thriving otter population. Land use change leading to siltation of spawning grounds and agrochemical effects on otter reproduction resulted on the Wye, as elsewhere, in the species decline. Measures to stimulate recovery of the otter population have been well documented including regular surveys complemented by post-mortem analyses. The recovery has been accompanied by a greater awareness of the wider needs of the species as reflected in the provision of artificial holts and in underpasses etc. in new road developments. However, the positive elements of its changing status are not universally welcomed.
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First Record of an Elusive Predator: The Smooth-Coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) from Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary, Thiruvarur District, Tamil Nadu, Southern India
Pages 79 - 84 (Short Communication)
Kanagasabai Arivoli and Kannadasan Narasimmarajan
Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary is one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in the state of Tamil Nadu, spanning over the area of about 128.10 ha. During March and June 2020 camera trap survey was carried-out in the sanctuary to examine the nocturnal animals and their movements. We deployed eight trap cameras randomly within the bird sanctuary. On 14th and 15th March 2020 about 1.30 AM a family of Smooth-coated otter was captured comprising of six adult individuals and no cubs were seen. Till date no otter has been reported from the Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary. This report presents the first ever information on the new distribution range of the Smooth-coated otters from this region, but extensive surveys are necessary to generate reliable abundance estimates and distribution patterns for otters in this region and neighboring water bodies.
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Monitored Release of Smooth-Coated Otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Pages 85 - 94 (Report)
Nicole Leroux, Bunthoeun Roth and Nick Marx
A family of smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) from Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center (PTWRC), Takeo, Cambodia, was reintroduced into the Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia, following IUCN Reintroduction Guidelines. Protocols included pre-release site surveys, candidate selection, health checks, rehabilitation and training, followed by acclimatization at the release site and post-release supplementary feeding and daily monitoring to ensure the continued survival and welfare of the released otters. The family, composing one male, one female and three offspring, was transported from PTWRC to a previously prepared release enclosure within the protected forest surrounding the Angkor Archeological Park for acclimatization. Following the death of two offspring due to eating poisonous toad eggs within the pre-release enclosure, the surviving three otters were released. The remaining juvenile disappeared approximately three weeks later, shortly after which the adult pair produced two pups. The family of four continues to survive, now six months after their release.
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Distribution and Human-Otter Interaction in a Man-Made Mtera Dam: How Fishers perceive their Neighbour
Pages 95 - 105 (Report)
Martin J. Bayo and Alfan A. Rija
There is scarce information on the distribution of African clawless otter across many of its range habitats and how humans who mostly use similar resources perceive otters. This information gap precludes efforts to improve conservation of the otters especially in areas increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and habitat loss. We used local expert opinion assessment and field surveys as well as questionnaire to document the distribution of the African clawless otter and uncovered threats in the Mtera dam in central Tanzania. Our surveys detected otter presence in only 50% of the sites known by the local fishers in the area. More than 56% of the surveyed community were aware of the otter presence and reported four major threats faced by this carnivorous species including use of illegal fishing gears, overfishing, increased human population density that puts pressure on the land, water and fish resources and increased human habitation of the dam sides. These threats have the potential to drastically change the otter habitats and the ecosystem services offered by the dam with dire consequences to the human economy and food security. Improving conservation of the Mtera dam ecosystem is an increasing priority.0
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Relationship between Temporal Environment Factors and Diet Composition oOf Small-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus) in Heterogeneous Paddy Fields Landscape in Sumatra, Indonesia
Pages 106 - 117 (Article)
Ferdi Andeska, Wilson Novarino, Jabang Nurdin, and Aadrean
The small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) is one of four otter species in Indonesia. This species consumes various types of animals. The availability of prey animal depends on its environmental conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to examine relationship between temporal environmental factors and diet composition of the small-clawed otter in paddy field landscape. We examined 415 spraints collected from a heterogeneous paddy field landscape in West Sumatra, Indonesia. We found that small-clawed otter consumed fishes, snails, crabs, reptiles, frogs, birds, and mammals. Unlike in the natural habitat, fish became the dominant diet rather than crabs. Furthermore, we performed generalized linear model (GLM) analysis to explain the temporal environmental factors that affect composition of small-clawed otter’s diet. GLM analyses revealed that temperature, rainfall, water level and cultivation stage were not significantly related to fish composition in small-clawed otter diet. Water level showed positive relationship to snails in the diet composition. Temperature showed positive relationship to both insect and frogs in the diet composition.
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