OTTERS!

testimonial
Omar F. al-Sheikhly
Smooth-coated otter, IraQ
I started working in the Iraqi marshes
immediately after the marshland
inundation of 2003.The habitat
destruction of the marshlands and
illegal hunting led to a dramatic
decline of the endemic Maxwell’s
otter (Lutrogale perspicillata
maxwelli) population, which turned
out to be one of the most elusive
and rarest endogenous mammal of
Mesopotamia. Therefore, finding the
mysterious otter was a challenge
for the recovery of the Iraqi
marshlands. It was a great moment
when evidence of its persistence
in the Iraqi marshes was revealed.
Currently, we are developing
genetic maps and working on a
conservation project for Maxwell’s
otter in the Iraqi marshes, helped by
many local researchers and native
Marsh Arabs.
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