OTTERS!

testimonial
katrina Fernandez
Asian Small-clawed otter,
Malaysia and India
The book “Ring of Bright Water” was
my primary inspiration to delve into
the world of otters. While engaged
in fieldwork for my doctorate, the
beautiful streams that meandered
through the Western Ghats proved
to be yet another attraction
(oftentimes a distraction as well)
towards wanting to study the otter.
Little has changed since. The
feeling of unbridled joy I encounter
upon spotting an otter in the wild is
incomparable. The fact that otters
are elusive by nature and very hard
to find adds to the excitement of
having seen one swimming by
– it is hard to not romanticize the
moment as one in which all of
time stands very still while nature
takes her course in the form of a
flowing river and some high pitched
squeaks as otter swim, play, hunt –
all of it a fleeting moment in time.
Being part Iranian, the recent
knowledge I acquired with regards
to the extremely sacred nature of
otters in Ancient Persia has been
another factor that further ignited
my passion for these wonderful
creations of Nature. It is a privilege
to be able to study otters and a job
I take very seriously. I look forward
to many years of hopefully not so
fleeting otter encounters.
20