Asian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual (1998)

covered under Part A of Schedule I of the Export (Trade) Control Order, 1988. Certain wetlandscontaining otters have been declared as wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.Threats1. Habitat destruction resulting from reclamation of wetlands for agricultural purposes, deforestation,and the construction of dams and barrages across rivers pose the greatest threats to Indian otters.Decimation of fish fauna due to various factors is also a major cause of declines in populations ofotters.2. Pollution of waterways with industrial, agricultural, and municipal wastes threatens to contaminatethe food chain on which otters depend.3. Otters are sometimes killed for their pelts and there is evidence of illegal export via Bangladesh andNepal to European and other fur markets. It is not clear whether this is a continuing problem. Theyare also hunted by tribal people for their meat and in Mizoram, male otters are killed for their sexualorgans, which are thought to have medicinal value by the Burmese people across the border.Conservation Priorities1. Legal trade in Asian otter pelts should be banned internationally to prevent the smuggling ofotter pelts across Indian borders, where they are then exported to the Western World.2. More detailed surveys of otters should be conducted throughout India to get a more accurateindication of which species of otters are found in which locations, and their current status.3. Effective protected areas should be established wherever possible in areas where otters survive andwhere there is good potential for the conservation of viable otter populations. In existing wildlifesanctuaries fishing should be carefully regulated (as is currently the case in national parks) toenhance the prey base of the otters. Where protected areas have been established at the edge ofreservoirs and rivers, these adjacent bodies of water should also be included in the protected areasto conserve these neighboring otter habitats more efficiently.4. Otters should be promoted as the symbol of Indian wetlands, to encourage more publicparticipation in their protection. Public education programs should also be devised to increaseawareness of the value of otters and the wetlands they stand for.5. More scientific studies are needed on the behavior, ecology, food, and habitat requirements ofotters in India.Figure 6.2. Distribution of the smooth otter (Lutra perspicillata)Asian Small-Clawed Otter Husbandry Manual/Action Plan71