IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 41 Issue 1 (March 2024)
Abstracts
The Current Status of Regulation of Asian Small-Clawed Otters Aonyx cinereus Trade in Japan
Pages 4 - 14 (Report)
Yumiko Okamoto, Chris R. Shepherd, and Hiroshi Sasaki
>The Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus is traded internationally to supply demand for pets, both legally and illegally. In 2019, the species was elevated from being listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to Appendix I, which generally prohibits international trade, as trade was deemed a threat to the conservation of this species. Although the Japanese national legislation strictly protects the CITES Appendix I-listed species, it is still possible to trade the Asian Small-clawed Otters domestically, subject to the necessary registration procedures. Here we look at current trade levels of Asian Small-clawed Otters in Japan and the impact of the CITES up-listing.
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First Breeding Record of Asian Small-Clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus (Illiger, 1815) from Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India
Pages 15 - 23 (Short Note)
Shantanu Sharma, Uttam Sawant, Shah Nawaz Jelil, Akash Patil, Abhilasha Srivastava, and Ramesh Krishnamurthy
Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is a very understudied complex of the Western Ghats landscape of India. The presence of diverse and heterogenous habitats supports a diverse species assembly. Here, we report on the occurrence and breeding of Asian Small-clawed Otters in the tiger reserve through opportunistic camera trapping conducted from November 2021–March 2022 at sampled locations along streams. Asian Small-clawed Otters were recorded from five locations with a photographic capture rate of 0.94 (± 0.57 SE) and in group sizes of 1–5 individuals, including pups. However, extensive surveys are necessary to generate reliable abundance estimates and to clearly understand otter distribution patterns in this landscape.
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Do Natural River Pits pose a Danger to Otters? A Field Report from the Moyar River, Western Ghats, India
Pages 24 - 30 (Report)
Kannadasan Narasimmarajan, Himanshu Shekhar Palei, and Manu Thomas Mathai
This paper reports an unusual and accidental mortality event of a group of Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus nirnai Illiger, 1815) trapped inside natural river pits in the Moyar River, Western Ghats, India. Otter populations are likely declining in the Western Ghats region due to various anthropogenic pressures and human-cause mortalities (poaching, roadkill, retaliate killing). Safeguarding otters from accidental mortality will help support their future survival. We discuss preventive measures to avoid such a cause of accidental mortality.
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