IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 39 Issue 4 (November 2022)
OSG Group Members News
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New Members of OSG
Since the last issue, we have welcomed 10 new members to the OSG: you can read more about them on the Members-Only pages.
Carlos Galvis, Colombia: I am Head of Populations at CAli Zoo, which has some of the greatest reproductive success with Giant Otters over the last 30 years worldwide. For more than 10 years, I have run the Latin American Studbook for this species. I have worked with Omacha Foundation on rehabilitation protocols for Giant Otters, and am also on the organising committee of the Giant Otter International Workshop.
Thine Moen Heggberget, Norway: I was a research zoologist from 1988 till my retirement a few years ago. My interests were, and remain population ecology, feeding ecology, predation, reproduction, and population dynamics. I mainly studied the Eurasian otter, but also American mink, shrews, reindeed and brown bear.
Shahnawaz Khan, India: I have been working with WWF-India’s research and conservation initiatives on key freshwater species in the Indo-Gangetic Plains for more than a decade. I have contributed to the conservation of Smooth-coated otters in the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh states of India. Additionally, I’ve written several research articles on the conservation ecology of aquatic animals, including Smooth-coated otters. I’m now researching the Smooth-coated Otter’s seasonal population dynamics and distribution pattern in the Upper Ganga River system, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Susanna Lewis: Peru: I work in the in the Madre de Dios region or south-eastern Peru, in collaboration with the Frankfurt Zoological Society, where I am working on collecting sighting information and photographs for various reasons, such as creating catalogues of individual otters, building an app that can be used in the field for giant otter sightings, and connecting with anyand all entities interested in giant otters.
Silvio Marchini, Brazil: I have been working to disseminate and strengthen interdisciplinary research in wildlife conservation, with an emphasis on its human dimension. I have also been dedicated to developing ways to improve decision-making in wildlife management and policy: strategic planning, theory of change, systems thinking, monitoring and evaluation, group facilitation and capacity building are examples of my areas of interest. Most of my work has involved jaguars, pumas, tapirs, sea lions and dolphins in Brazil and other Latin American countries, and I am very excited about the opportunity to work with this SG and contribute to otter conservation throughout the world!
Averroes Oktaliza, Indonesia: I am currently working on Aonyx cinereus distribution in the Ciliwung watershed in the light of pet trade pressure, amongst other threats. I am also working with colleagues to establish an organization dedicated to wildlife conservation called ASTA Indonesia, which will conduct ecological studies and work to protect the otter population in Indonesia.
Carmen Or, China: Currently I am working at WWF-Hong Kong and has been running otter research projects in Hong Kong in recent years. I am currently working on the distribution and population size of this species in Mai Po Nature Reserve using camera traps, sign surveys and molecular analyses. I am also involved in training a spraint detection dog.
Friederike Schröder, Germany: Since 2019, I have worked on “Actionplan Fischotter southwest Lower-Saxony”, monitoring the otter population in three counties in Lower-Saxony as well as doing habitat modelling and carrying out the genetic monitoring. In the course of the project, I have been advertising otter conservation by giving talks and organizing information events for the local community in my study area. My new research interest lies in otter behavior and habitat use. I would like to start a new project next year about otter bridge usage and how to reduce traffic casualties. For this, I hope to find collaborators in the OSG and to benefit from other members’ input.
Karen Arine Souza, Brazil: I am an ecologist, and have been working as a naturalist wildlife guide for 11 years. I joined the Giant Otter Project as a volunteer in 202, and became a member in 2021. I am monitoring giant otters in the Porto Jofre region of Northern Pantanal, andam also seeking to learn and get more involved in human dimensions studies related to otters.
Morten Vissing, Denmark: I work with European Otters at AQUA Akvarium & Dyrepark, Silkeborg, on rescue and rehabilitation. We work with fish farmers on otter exclusion, and with local authorities on construction of otter passes, and the collection of dead otters for research.