Image credit: Atul BorkerAbstract
Otter species are declining across their distribution in South Asia. There is an urgent need to understand the distribution of otters in the region, as well as to direct conservation efforts and protect their habitat. In India, there are very few data on otters in the Northeast region of the country. In this study, we report the presence of two species, Eurasian and Small-clawed otters, in the Pakke Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (Pakke Tiger Reserve) in Arunachal Pradesh, a large Indian state in the Eastern Himalayas. The Eurasian otter and the Small-clawed otter species are listed on Appendix I of CITES and are protected by Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 in India. We conducted the first survey for otters in the Indian North-east, along the Kameng River, and recorded 43 otter signs, 23 of the Eurasian otter, and 20 of the Small-clawed otter, and retrieved photographic records of both species. There is an urgent need for further research and the development of conservation strategies to protect otters in the region.
- IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
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Nishant Bhardwaj
Ecologist | Wildlife Biologist
My research interests include behaviour ecology, conservation, population ecology, wildlife management and policy