IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 38 Issue 4 (August 2021)
OSG Group Members News
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New Members of OSG
Since the last issue, we have welcomed 4 new members to the OSG: you can read more about him on the Members-Only pages.
Taisa Adhya, India: While working on the Fishing Cat, my team discovered the presence of Eurasian Otters in Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon and India’s oldest Ramsar site. This is the first record of the Eurasian Otter from the Indian East coast. The Smooth coated Otter is also present in Chilika. Our results establish that Chilika gives refuge to a viable and breeding population of both otters. My main area of interest lies in understanding what processes lead to the co-occurrence of all three wetland mammals in Chilika. Going forward, I will propose a science based conservation and management plan for protection of all three species in this landscape which is located completely outside the purview of protected areas.
Macarena Barros, Chile: My interests are sursurveillance and epidemiological evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii, distemper, parvovirus and leptospira in dogs and domestic cats, American mink and the Southern river otter in southern Chile. I am currently leading a FIPA 2018-28 project “Distribution, abundance and risks for the conservation of Southern river otter in the Allipén and Toltén river, IX Region of Araucanía” where we are mainly working with camera traps and capturing individuals: www.proyectohuillin.org.
Mišel Jelić, Croatia: I have worked on nature and biodiversity protection since 2005, leading a variety of field survey projects, including Natura 2000 implementation project “Investigation of the Distribution of Otters (Lutra lutra L.) in the Continental Part of Croatia”. I am currently working on the genetic structure of otter populations along the rivers bordering Croatia, and Slovenia and Hungary. My current and historical distribution data has been found very useful by other researchers. In the future I intend to make as much of my data available as possible.
Manfred Meiner, Mexico: I am a biologist and conservation photographer that has documented the Neotropical River Otter. I believe in the power of images to connect people beyond words. Website: manfredmeiners.com