Asian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual (1998)

Legal StatusProtected: internal and external trade and local consumption are banned.Threats1. Habitat destruction due to human encroachment. Forests are now restricted to less than 9% of thetotal land area, and more land is continually being cleared for agricultural or maricultural use.Brushy cover near homestead areas is disappearing due to fuelwood collection, and herbaceousplants and aquatic vegetation in wetland areas are also collected for fuel.2. Otters are killed because of perceived competition with fishermen. More than five million peopleare dependent on fishing for their livelihood and many of these fishermen still depend on tame ottersto drive fish into their nets. Historically these otters have been reared in captivity.3. Otters are hunted illegally for the fur trade and sometimes for meat. CITES reports that 3,558 skinsof smooth otter, originating from Bangladesh, entered international trade in 1980, with a further 427in 1982.4. Large-scale local embankment, and dike, dam, and road construction throughout the country isaltering the free flow of water and drying up some bodies of water.5. Heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers is contaminating many ponds and water bodies in ruralBangladesh.Figure 6.1. Distribution of the Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea).Conservation Priorities1. Legal protection and conservation programs for wetlands and other threatened habitat andspecies need to be developed. Specifically, the existing Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Act of1973 needs to be updated and enforced.2. Complete surveys of otter habitats need to be continued to identify key potential areas for otter andwetland conservation efforts.3. Key wetland areas should be declared as otter sanctuaries.Asian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual/Action Plan67