CHANS-Net: The International Network of Research on Coupled Human and Natural Systems

Journal or Book Title: IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin

Abstract: Otter species have been rehabilitated to their wild habitats as a conservation measure across the world. Otter rehabilitation success and post-release survival are influenced by age on arrival in captivity, time spent in human contact during captivity, age-at-release, human disturbance to habitat, and interactions between captive and wild otters. Attempts for rehabilitation are relatively fewer in developing countries owing to inadequate technical and financial support. This is an important gap for research and conservation efforts in countries like India, where only a few cases of otter rehabilitation are known. In this paper we report on the successful rehabilitation of an 8-yr old adult smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata in a human-dominated floodplain landscape along the Ganga River in Bihar, India A male otter pup was rescued from poachers in the year 2000 and hand-reared until 2008. This otter was named 'Ganga' and rehabilitated as an adult in May 2008 after a soft-release program in the river, which took 42 days. Until 1.5 years later, Ganga was occasionally re-sighted with a wild otter pack, until he was found dead in March 2016. We report the technical details of and constraints faced in the rehabilitation, along with associated behavioral observations on Ganga in captivity, during release, and his interactions with wild otters. We demonstrate through this case that the success of rehabilitation through soft-release procedures was a key factor that ensured excellent post-release survival of Ganga in the wild. Rehabilitation success can be influenced strongly by social contexts, hence an understanding of the socio-ecological systems in which otters have to be conserved, is crucial.

Type of Publication: Article