OTTER NEWS from the International Otter Survival Fund No 48 Autumn 2007 IOSF INTERNATIONAL OTTER SURVIVAL FUND
A MESSAGE FROM PAUL As another year comes to a close, I would like to thank you once again for your support and loyal following. I can t believe it is 14 years since the Fund was started and since those early days we have become a major force in international otter conservation. As I write I am getting ready to travel to the 10th International Otter Colloquium in South Korea where we are giving a paper on the alarming rise in otter fur trafficking, mostly from the Asian countries. We have worked closely with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) on this, and presented a report to the CITES standing committee last year. It is quite alarming that from 2003-2005 over 1000 otter skins were seized from China, Nepal and India alone and these are some of most endangered otters in the world. You can read more about this further on but I promise you that over the coming year IOSF will work even harder to put pressure on the authorities for this to stop. But it is important to work locally too, and so we maintain our efforts to ensure that otters are protected in the wild. This may be from potential development, roads, snares or other human activity. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year and from all the individual otters we have cared for this year at our sanctuary a big THANK YOU. Best wishes Paul checking the new camera trap Paul 2
HELP IOSF AT CHRISTMAS With this Otter News you will find our latest Catalogue and I am sure you will agree that there are some great Christmas present ideas. Remember that all profits from the Ottershop go to help otters, so please do think about supporting us in this way. Orders can be made online at www.ottershop.co.uk, by phone or by post and we aim to get all orders sent out the next working day. As a special offer, we are giving away a free packet of Otter Whoopsies to every supporter who gives an otter adoption as a present, just include your sponsorship number with your order and we will do the rest. Also, if you spend more than 10 in the Gifts and Goods section at the Otter- Shop before the end of November, we will include free Whoopsies. When you buy your Chirstmas Cards this year, think of IOSF! It is not often you get the chance to spend a 1 on yourself and 51p on a charity, and strangely the total you pay is still a 1. Well that s exactly what happens when you buy your Christmas card packs at www.studio51.com. IOSF gets a huge contribution of 51p for every pound you spend. Although you can still buy Christmas cards at the OtterShop, this year we have also teamed up with Studio51. They have a fabulous collection of cards which are well crafted and at fair prices; starting at 3.99 for 20 and up to 6.50 for 10. The website is very easy to use, just select your cards, select our charity, pay online or by cheque and the cards will then be delivered to you by first class post within a few days. So the result is you win and we win. You can order a sample to check the quality and Studio51 also guarantee that if, for any reason, you are not satisfied, they will refund you for the price of the cards. Please try and support us this year, at no extra cost to you, by sending Christmas cards bought from www.studio51.com. Thank You 3
IOSF UK STUDIES Shetland Otters For the third year running Paul has been to Shetland with Jim Conroy for the annual otter survey. Jim has been surveying certain sites since the 1980s and the work is funded by BP, who operate the Sullom Voe oil terminal. Over the last three years otter evidence has been down by about 40% in the survey areas. However, this year there was a slight increase but it is still worrying that otter evidence is so low. Uist Otter Survey Jim Conroy surveying in Shetland With the support of Scottish Natural Heritage fish trapping will be done to look at the availability of fish prey species. This will show if the decline is linked to a decline in the availability of prey. This summer a group of volunteers joined us on the island of North Uist to carry out an otter survey as part of our studies into the otters of the Hebrides. It takes about two hours to sail from Skye to Lochmaddy in the Uists, which have been described as the islands full of lochs, and the lochs full of islands. How true this is and it certainly made it pretty difficult to survey as there was so much shoreline both coastal and freshwater. The west of North Uist has some absolutely beautiful beaches and Surveying in North Uist the east side, in contrast, has long lochs which dissect the island and have rocky shorelines. Part of the area surveyed was the Lochmaddy Marine Special Area of Conservation but what surprised us most was that many areas which looked ideal for otters had very few signs. The report is still to be completed but it seems as if this survey threw up as many questions as it answered! 4
Camera Traps In April we installed digital camera traps at a location on Skye where we have been monitoring the otters, so that we can see how often they use freshwater pools. The cameras detect movement and can provide both still images or video, as well as recording the date and time of each shot. Every time we check the cameras there is great excitement to see what has been photographed. Sometimes we come back to the computer with over 100 photos but to our disappointment a very large percentage turn out to be sheep! We also have excellent shots of oystercatchers, hooded crows and heron. But then there are the actual otter pictures: shadowy night shots of an otter grooming and rolling on its back; a single animal running across the grass and the most exciting a female with her two cubs! The cameras have now been in place for six months and have already provided some interesting insights into otter behaviour. Unlike otters in freshwater which are largely nocturnal, we had always believed our coastal otters were diurnal. So we were surprised to find photos of the otters taken at their freshwater pool at night on several dates in May. Activity at night would be understandable in winter as day length is so short but in June we have a photo of two otters taken at 1.30am, by which time it barely gets dark. So it would appear that these otters are active on and off throughout the day and night. Here are just a few of the photos: If you would like to donate towards these various UK research projects please mark your donation Research. Thank you. 5
SEA OTTER HEALTH MONITORING STUDY Since 2002 more sea otters have died in south-central Alaska than for the previous 20 years and this has been described as an unusual mortality event. Many animals died of a heart condition called valvular endocarditis and/or septicemia but often septicemia itself will lead to the heart problem. Scientists are unsure of the cause of this outbreak but are worried that large numbers of animals dying of a single disease may indicate a problem with the coastal ecosystem. Location Map of Study Area During this summer 44 sea otters in Kachemak Bay were fitted with transmitters and tags as part of a two year study of their health and condition and also their foraging patterns. The aim is to reveal information on potential or contributing causes to the mortality event such as 1) immunosuppression due to a viral infection, contaminants or genetic predisposition/reduced variability; 2) viral or other pathogen infection which causes damage to tissue cells; 3) pre-existing valvular absormality due to congenital (i.e. genetic) defect or other factors; or 4) something in the diet that causes damage to the digestive tract and release of bacteria into the bloodstream. If anyone sees a tagged otter please contact either Ori (907-226-4662; email oriana.badajos@alaska.gov) or Angela (Angela_Doroff@fws.gov) at the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve and give details of the date, time, location (preferably GPS) and the tag s colour and number (if possible). Dead tagged animals should be reported to the Fish and 6
Wildlife Service of the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve as soon as possible so that the cause of death can be determined. Sea Otter Thanks to Angela Doroff and Oriana Badajos for their pictures and permission to print excerpts from their factsheets on this study contact them for more information. SEA OTTERS GETTING THE LAW ON THEIR SIDE The Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act has been reintroduced in order to support and organise sea otter research and population recovery programs under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior. As well as maintaining the balance of the kelp-bed ecosystem, sea otters are also regarded as a tourist attraction, resulting in them having been identified as an ecological keystone species. 7
U.S. Representative Sam Farr, D-Carmel, said that the legislation will: 1. Require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out a recovery program to include measures for the protection of sea otters; reduction or elimination of human-related factors harming sea otter recovery; and public education and outreach efforts. 2. Since this bill was first introduced in 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has established a Sea Otter Recovery Implementation Team and a Science Advisory Subcommittee, but both groups exist at the whim of government. This bill would codify both entities into law. 3. Provide $3 million annually for conservation and protection initiatives and $2 million annually for research programs through a series of competitive grants. The bill has been produced in collaboration with fishermen, sea mammal rescue groups, scientists and environmentalists and hopefully it will soon become law. www.thecalifornian.com 24 September 2007 Sea Otter (photo: William F Bryan) OTTER NEWS ON PDF Help IOSF to put more money into otter conservation by reading your OtterNews online. If you are happy to do this please email us at otterhq@aol.com quoting your sponsorship number, and reduce our printing and postage costs. However, if you prefer, we are still happy to send out a printed copy to you. Your OtterNews is now printed on 80% recycled paper. 8
SNARES UPDATE We don t really need reminding how barbaric these horrible devices are and recently the Glasgow Herald featured a series of letters about this issue. The Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, claimed that they only catch target species how then have we had six otters caught over a five year period? He also maintained that non-target animals are released unharmed!!! More rubbish, as the injuries to these otters were horrific and two of them died agonising deaths. Similar reports have come from Vic Simpson, of the Veterinary Investigation Centre in Cornwall. Even those in favour of the continued use of snares admit they are not target-specific and the British Association of Shooting and Conservation and the Game Conservancy Trust (cited by the Independent Working Group Report on Snares) have produced figures which show that, on average, up to 48% of animals trapped in snares are non-target. But NO animal should die this way. So the only way to stop this cruel and needless slaughter of our wildlife is to ban snares completely. Recently the Scottish Government published the results of their consultation on the future of snaring and it made positive reading, with a majority of 2:1 in favour of a complete ban! So we are working with the League Against Cruel Sports and Advocates for Animals to put pressure on the Scottish Government to implement this total ban. Now we need YOU to make sure that the voice of this majority brings about action and a ban becomes a reality. There are two things we would urge you to do: 1. This is for the whole of the UK not just for Scotland. It is not too late to sign the petition on the Prime Minister s petitions website. Just go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ Snares/ You have until 21 November 2007 to do this so please encourage your friends to do the same. The more people who sign the sooner we can stop this throughout the UK. 2. Please download the Public Petition to the Scottish Government from our website (www.otter.org) and get as many signatures as you can and return it by 30 November 2007. It is essential we all work together on this as it adds more strength to the voice which will lead to one less threat facing our wildlife. If Scotland leads with a ban, the rest of the UK will hopefully follow. PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW YOUR SIGNATURE COUNTS 9
OTTERS IN CARE There is never a quiet time in otter rescue largely because, unlike other wildlife orphans, there is no baby season and cubs can arrive at any time of the year. Since I last wrote we have received three new cubs all female! Jeannie and Catkin came in two weeks apart but both from the Aberdeen area Jeannie was from near Peterhead and Catkin from Dyce (near Aberdeen Airport). Some of you who live in Scotland, may have seen Jeannie on TV on Landward. She was taken to the SSPCA in Aberdeen and transferred to us by Chief Inspector John Carle. Landward met up with her in Aberdeen when she was tiny and then followed it up with a visit to Skye, by which time she had been transferred to one of the nursery pens. Now both Jeannie and Catkin, who are totally inseparable, are in a croft pen. They are really enjoying the freedom and space and if we are quiet we can see them hunting around for their fish amongst the long grass. In August we received a phone call from the SSCPA wildlife centre at Middlebank, who had just received a young female cub from Forgandenny, Perthshire. We met up with Colin Seddon, who used to work at the RSPCA wildlife unit at West Hatch and has now come north. This cub is our 100th otter and so naming her was simple Ceud means 100 in Gaelic! Catkin, Jeannie and Fish! Ceud 10
She has been very co-operative so far. When she first arrived she was on a bottle and she couldn t get enough of it she would try and take the whole teat into her tiny mouth! Then one day I peeked in and spotted her killing her blanket. I decided that rather than playing with the blanket I would give her a fish tail as this might give her a taste for it until then she wouldn t touch fish, even fresh salmon! The next time I looked all that was left was the backbone and the very end of the tail and since then she hasn t looked back. It was instant weaning as she wouldn t touch a bottle after that and she now has two fish a day quite an appetite for such a small animal. You can watch Ceud on our web cam (follow the links at www.otter.org) And what about the big guys? Maverick is now a year old and back in the wild, although he still returns for his fish takeaway! Soon, hopefully, he will adapt even more and become fully independent. Eliza is also nearing release and all being well will go back to Cumbria soon. In the last Otter News, we told you how Chitra has been very unsettled since the death of his brother. It had been hoped that another otter could join him but in the end this was not possible. Eliza at the Croft So it was decided that the best option would be to release him and at the end of June he was taken to the north eastern part of Bangladesh. Here there is a wetland sanctuary and it was felt that he would be safe in the wild. Two days after his release he was found foraging with a group of wild otters and it is now hoped that after his sad start in life he will be able to join this group and become a truly wild smooth-coated otter. Dr Feeroz will be monitoring him but recent floods in the area have meant that further visits to the sanctuary have not been possible. We will keep you informed of any updates. Chitra (photo: Dr Feeroz) 11
MUIRBURN OTTER CONSERVATION ISSUES Muirburn is a controversial practice employed widely in upland heaths in an attempt to promote new heather growth for the benefit of a variety of stock and game. The belief is that this will achieve a variable age mosaic of heather to allow a rotation of growth control. In practice, particularly in the Western Highlands and Islands, there is little or no control exercised. This can lead, to a loss of biodiversity with some ground never recovering to produce a new flush of heather. Molina can flourish but this is at best poor quality grazing and generally low in biodiversity quality. 15 April in any year is the accepted last date for burning. However the law allows burning up to 30 April or 15 May in the case of land above 450m. A poorly understood problem relating to uncontrolled Muirburn concerns otters. At worst they will perish and at best lose their habitat. Many coastal living otters migrate to hill lochs in search of amphibians during early spring. They create minor holt sites amongst heather and rank grass as they move around their inland territories following even the smallest water courses. In addition females in search of quiet undisturbed areas often choose the banks of lochs and burns situated in heath-land to form their natal holts. Here cubs are born in any month of the year and remain until they are about eight weeks old and ready for weaning. Muirburn over Rest Site (photo: R. Cottis) In the Western Highlands and Islands cubs born in the early spring are highly vulnerable to a fire allowed to burn along coastal margins or water courses and around freshwater loch 12
edges where natal holts often occur. Moreover they can be found at a considerable distance from water posing still greater problems. During early April 2007, three otter sites were affected by uncontrolled muirburn, two resting sites under deep heather close to the coast were completely burnt out and one inland holt site at a fresh water loch edge was affected, with large areas of cover destroyed. Muirburn over Holt Site (photo: R. Cottis) Given that vast areas of moorland are affected each year, we would appeal to anyone who has any information about otter sites which may have been affected, or might be threatened by muirburn in the future, to contact us. Roger Cottis, Isle of Skye, email: cottiskye@onetel.com UPDATE ON TRADE IN OTTER FURS Last year IOSF was horrified to discover the huge threat to otters from the fur trade (Otter News 44) and, with the help of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Wildlife Protection Society of Inida (WPSI), a report was made to the CITES Standing Committee. In the past concern about trade in skins has been largely concentrated on the big cats, such as tigers and leopards, and there has been much public outcry and conservation effort to protect these species. Unfortunately, smaller species, such as the otter, have been overlooked and their exploitation has gone largely unnoticed. Nevertheless trade in otter skins is extensive and is usually a part of the whole illegal wildlife trade operation. 13
Just look at these figures and you will begin to appreciate the scale of the problem: Otters skins seized in China, Nepal and India Date Place Number 11/02/03 Siliguri, India. 19 040/4/03 Kathmandu 14 08/10/06 Sangsang,Tibet, China 778 11/07/04 Thankot check point, Kathmandu 11 18/03/04 Daklang,Sindhupalchok, Nepal 6 04/09/05 Syafru Besi, Rasuwa, Nepal 238 17/04/05 Baudha, Kathmandu 38 TOTAL 1104 (Source: Wildlife Conservation Nepal, 2005; EIA, UK and Department of Forests, Nepal) In March 2006, an article in the Anchorage Daily News described the revived interest in otter pelts at auctions there. Sea otter pelts are also being sold in Russia, with at least 300 skins being sold on the black market in Moscow in summer 2005, most of which were obtained illegally. The problem is particularly bad in Tibet, where many illegal furs end up. Here, otter skins are mostly used to trim the traditional dress, the chupa, and only those in a high position, such as chieftains, wore the whole skin as an indication of their wealth or social standing. These costumes are worn at many festivals but these are now more tourist attractions rather than traditional events. Official state functions also have traditional cultural events and highly decorated fur costumes are seen as demonstrating the wealth and status of Tibetan culture. Tibetan Chupa with otter fur trim (photo: Belinda Wright WPSI/EIA) 14
The Dalai Lama denounced the use of animal furs and made a public appeal in January 2006 to stop using wildlife products. For many Tibetans he is still king even though he is in exile and so there were several incidents of the burning of stockpiles of wildlife skins. However, the Chinese banned such events as they see them as a public demonstration of allegiance to the Dalai Lama. The Times reported on 27 July that the Chinese government had actually ordered entertainers at the Yushu annual horse-racing festival to wear furs or face a fine of 3,000 yuan ( 200), a vast sum to a Tibetan farmer, and any official or state employee faced the sack. The Dalai Lama (photo: CWI) It is quite ironic that the Chinese had discouraged Tibetans from wearing the chupa to reduce the fur trade but now they make it compulsory in order to counter the influence of the Dalai Lama! Traders say most skins come from India even though the otters there are endangered and highly protected. However, this protection appears to be on paper only as there is no programme for REAL protection. The last legal skins of smooth-coated otters were imported to China back in 1993 and these were then re-exported, so clearly there is a major illegal trade. There is also trade in otter body parts for medicine. The network of traders and poachers is highly organised and the pelts, together with those of tiger and leopard, may be smuggled out in fake gasoline tanks using the ancient trade routes for salt, spices and wool. Not only Asian otters are involved - skins from other otter species are on the market, some apparently obtained legitimately e.g. American river otter. Sea otters are being sought resulting in the increased Alaskan market and there are illegal imports of Eurasian otters from areas such as the Danube Delta in Austria and the Ukraine. Skins for sale in Tibet (photo: Debbie Banks EIA/WPSI) 15
Clearly this trade is widespread and having a drastic effect on populations of different species of otter worldwide, not just in Asia, in spite of the fact that Nepal and China are signatories of CITES. The burning of skins, Dharamshala (photo: CWI/WTI) In 2006 EIA again visited the area and found 11 people wearing otter skin chupas and in Lhasa there were at least 38 otter skin chupas available. This was a decline but as traders in Linxia in Gansu Province were particularly aggressive on this visit they could not carry out a complete survey. In many countries wildlife crime is not seen as a matter of high priority and so there is only minimal effort in terms of money and enforcement effort. Some people even believe that it is just a local issue and is almost inevitable where there is poverty. However, there is positive news which we have just received from Debbie Banks of EIA by email: We ve just come back from the Litang Horse Festival and the good news is that not one single person was wearing genuine skin of any kind we saw some fake leopard and fake otter but otherwise nothing being worn by any of the dancers, horse riders, officials or public! It s probably just a localised success and we didn t have time to go and visit any other markets there s been a locally run awareness campaign there since 2005 that has been able to 16
operate relatively free of interference from local government, so that has had a sustained impact, but the other factor could be that this year the Litang festival was reportedly organised by the local people not by the local government, so there wasn t the same pressure on people to wear skins as before. Either way it is something to smile about for a change! The people attending the festival that we spoke to, and the retailers in town who a couple of years ago were dealing in skins, all said that either it is no longer fashionable or politically correct to wear skins or said that these animals are now protected. So there s been a strong shift in attitude. It is really encouraging to see that public awareness does actually work but we still can t afford the complacency of thinking problem solved. This is just one festival and we have to make sure that this attitude spreads. We have been approached by Jyoti Bhandari, who studied otters in Rupa Lake, Nepal. She now wants to extend this work by producing public awareness material to show her people how important otters are to the environment of their country. This can only help in our campaign against the fur trade and so IOSF wants to support her for this we need to raise $1,600. As I write we are also preparing a presentation for the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Otter Specialists Group Colloquium to be held in South Korea in October. Delegates will come from all over the world and by uniting we can counter these threats to our otters. We will keep you informed. Map indicating trade route (photo: CWI) The full version of the IOSF furs report presented to CITES can be found on our website at http://web.archive.org/web/20070905143502/http://www.otter.org/fur.html - please contact us if you would like a hard copy. Thanks to EIA and WPSI for their help with this article. We would urge you to support our anti-fur campaign - please send a cheque marked furs or Nepal on the back or alternatively make a donation at www.ottershop.co.uk and please put furs or Nepal in the message section. We assure you that no amount is too small - Thank you. 17
2008 PROGRAMME OF WILDLIFE TRIPS We can t believe that it is already time to plan our trips for 2008, and we haven t even finished the 2007 programme yet! And 2008 will be our 23rd season of running wildlife trips! It has been a mixed year of sightings for some reason we don t seem to have seen so many cetaceans and basking sharks, whereas last year there were plenty. But otters have been busy and we have had some great sightings including two different females with two cubs. One of the things which makes the trips such fun is that so many people come back year after year and there is always a great atmosphere amongst the group. But if you haven t been with us before you will soon find that we are a relaxed, welcoming bunch! After all everyone has so much in common a deep love of wildlife and wild places and a concern that these things are preserved. You will also find that you have discovered probably the most scenic part of Britain after all Skye was featured on ITV s programme Britain s Favourite Views. The rugged Cuillin mountains and the majestic landslip of Trotternish are unique but we also have miles of coastline with rugged cliffs and small sandy beaches, heather moorland and woodland, both deciduous and plantation. So much crammed into one island! Out and about on Skye Many people come in the hope of a glimpse of that elusive creature a wild otter! Luckily for us we have a good population and not only that, they are active in the day so there is no getting up at silly times of the night! We will never promise a sighting but your chances are good and in addition you may also spot eagles (both whitetailed and golden), dolphins, whales, seals and seabirds. You may be interested in wildlife and also the geology, history and archaeology of Skye and its neighbouring island of Raasay then Wildlife and Heritage is for you. How about learning how to be an Otter Detective and identify secondary signs (spraints, washing pools, tracks, etc) so that you can explore for yourself when you go back home. If you want to do a bit more walking but still enjoy wildlife, then take a look at Walking and Wildlife. 18
If you have experience of otter surveying you may like to join our Otter Survey of Longford, central Ireland. Earlier this year the Irish SPCA opened an otter sanctuary here and so we want to see the status of the local otter population. View over an Irish Lough More information can be found in our Factfiles these are available at www.otter.org/holidays.html or contact us and we will send you a printed copy. TITLE DATES Number COST FITNESS of nights LEVEL Otter Survey of Longford, Ireland 12-19 April 7 ** 1 Wildlife & Heritage of Skye & Raasay 12-17 May 5 335 1 Walking & Wildlife 26-31 May 5 315 2 Become an Otter Detective 2-7 June 5 315 1 Wildlife & Heritage of Skye & Raasay 28 July 2 August 5 335 1 Become an Otter Detective 15-20 Sept 5 315 1 ** Please contact us for further information and prices for the survey in Ireland. FITNESS LEVELS: LEVEL 1: Walking about 6-8 miles a day over rough tracks LEVEL 2: Walking about 8 miles over rough ground and coastal paths with some hills (If you are not sure about the level of fitness required please do contact us for advice.) Accommodation is on a B&B basis in local guest houses or small hotels. Packed lunches and dinners are not included so that you can eat to suit your pocket!! 19
NEWS OF OTTERS River Otters reintroduction delayed North American River Otter (photo: PAWS) The last confirmed sighting of an otter on Gila River was in 1953 and otters are now listed as endangered by the state of New Mexico. However, plans for their reintroduction have been shelved for at least a year as another reintroduction at the Rio Grande Gorge means there aren t enough otters to go round! Dutch Salmon, of the New Mexico State Game Commission, said there is concern the otters may have a negative effect on fish in the Gila, particularly the endangered Gila trout. However, Salmon feels that the end result will be beneficial as they will eat a lot of non-native fish and crayfish. Las Cruces Sun-News.com, 4 September 2007 Otters on the River Lune IOSF was recently approached with regard to a proposed development of three holiday chalets only yards from a natal holt on the River Lune in Lancashire. Campaigners had contacted the Environment Agency (EA), local Wildlife Trust and Natural England but seemed to be making no headway, even though this is an active natal holt. On 11 July the Lancashire Evening Post ran an article entitled Otter droppings show a 20
healthy river. It quotes EA We are very pleased with the findings as it shows that the Lune s otter population, compared to the 2004 survey, has now spread to new sites including the River Keer as well as an increased population around Tebay, Sedbergh, High Bentham and Kirby Lonsdale. The results show Lune otters are steadily recovering from more than 50 years of decline due to chemicals such as an old form of sheep dip. John Collins, Lancashire area manager with the Environment Agency, said It is important we monitor the otter populations. If otters thrive, it means our rivers do too. Strange then, that the EA has not objected to the proposal. IOSF is supporting this campaign; natal holts are even more vulnerable than holts used by adults and any disturbance to such a holt could be disastrous for these otters. More possible Crayfish Problems Eurasian Otter (photo: Mary Heathcote) Otter News 41 reported that in Kenya the introduced Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish was having a drastic effect on the local ecosystem, including Cape Clawless otters. In July Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, UK) issued a press release about the dangers of another alien crayfish the Marbled Crayfish. This species can reproduce asexually so only one individual can lead to a wild population! These are voracious feeders so they will have a significant impact on food sources and they can also carry crayfish plague, which again has serious implications for native species. 21
Cefas advise that anyone holding this species, or who may have information about UK sources should contact the Fish Health Inspectorate on 01305 206673 or email fish.health.inspectorate@cefas.co.uk Alpine Otters Andreas Kranz has been working on otters in Austria for many years and in Autumn 2005 he found otters living at an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level. He is interested to know if there are any recent (1990-2007) records of otters in the Alps of France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Austria. If you can help him please email him at andreas. kranz@aon.at Habitat at altitude in Austria (photo: Kranz) Bad news about Hairy Nosed Otters in Thailand In 1998 the Hairy Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) was believed to be extinct. However Budsabong Kanchanasakha, partly funded by IOSF, found these rare otters in Thailand and obtained the first photo of a cub. Hairy Nosed Otter (photo: Budsabong Kanchanasakha) 22
Since then small numbers have been found in Vietnam, Malaysia and possibly also Cambodia. We were therefore very concerned to read the following report in the Thai paper, The Nation National, dated 13 September 2007: Researcher Budsabong Kanchanasakha said the hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) - which had previously recovered in Narathiwat after two decades of not being seen anywhere in the world - was now at risk again due to civil unrest in the region, land encroachment for palm plantations and poaching. The species was facing extinction. We will be bringing this up at the coming Symposium in Korea and see what action needs to be taken. THANKS The children at Kiddycare Day Nursery, Dundee have again completed a sponsored walk and raised a fantastic 200 for IOSF. And here are a couple of pictures of them enjoying their walk. We would also like to say Thank you to everyone for their continued support. 23
PHOTO COMPETITION In Otter News 46 we set this competition for photoraphs of your otter toys in funny situations and what a response we had. It was great fun for us to look through all of your entries before finally choosing this one from Julie Timmins: Thank you to everyone for taking part. About IOSF Registered business address: 7 Black Park, Broadford, Isle of Skye IV49 9DE Scotland Tel: 01471 822 487 Fax: 01471 822 487 Email: info@otter.org Website: www.otter.org Charity number: SC003875 Who s Who at IOSF Patron: Julian Pettifer Presidents: Dennis Furnell, Laurence Broderick Co-ordinator: Janet Wildgoose Development Officer: Helen Birch Head of Operations: Dr Paul Yoxon Scientific Advisor: Jim Conroy MSc Asian Co-ordinator: Prof Padma da Silva European Co-ordinator: Dr Vadim Sidorovich A NOTE WHEN WRITING: Could we please ask you to give us your sponsorship number whenever you write as it does help us to find your records more quickly. Thanks. Printed by Strath Print Ltd, Broadford, Isle of Skye email info@strathprint.co.uk Tel: 01471 822555 (cover photo: Jerry Sutton)