Otters too facing threat due to habitat degradation

Nagpur: Across India, people’s lives are intertwined with those of wildlife, especially tigers and leopards, but this is also true with little-known and an elusive aquatic group of carnivores called otters. They are also facing threats due to habitat degradation, disappearing of wetlands, illegal trade, hunting, and conflict with local communities.
A recent study by scientists with Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) in the biologically important forest corridor connecting Kanha-Pench tiger reserves until the Wainganga river reveals that India’s otters, called ‘oodbilav’ in local parlance, impact lives of people in areas where otters share space.
The study titled ‘Living alongside otters: examining human-otter interactions and attitudes towards otters in Central India for conservation in shared landscapes’ was published in the latest edition of journal ‘Biodiversity and Conservation’.
Researchers surveyed 551 people across an area of 3,300 sq km in MP’s Balaghat district, neighbouring Maharashtra, to examine people’s overlap with otters. Otter presence was reported from 94% of surveyed area, and 66% respondents reported encountering otters at least once.
This region’s wildlife includes tigers, leopards, sloth bears, dholes, and barasingha. This region is also home to over 3.50 lakh people. Questionnaire surveys were used to understand people’s interactions with otters, the impact otters had on their lives, and their attitudes towards the species.
As per the surveys, 75% interactions were neutral with no impacts on people, while 19% were negative due to otter-caused damage, and 7% were positive. Fishermen reported that otters steal their fish and damage fishing gear, with an average annual loss of over Rs13,000 (10% of the mean annual income).
“Few people know that otters are so widespread in India. With this study, we wanted to understand people’s relationships with otters in the Kanha-Pench corridor. During our conversations with fishing communities we found that otters frequently steal fish from nets, damage equipment, and enter lakes where commercial species are being reared,” said Vinni Jain, lead author of the study.
“Although some people were tolerant of these losses, and even appreciated the presence of otters, many others had low tolerance and expressed the desire to retaliate against otters for the damage,” Jain adds.
Jain says, “We also found that higher education level, increased distance from PAs, and increased frequency of encountering otters were associated with positive attitudes towards otters, while fishing as an occupation was associated with negative attitudes.”
“This shows how repeated monetary loss can negatively influence people’s perception of wild animals. Surprisingly, those who saw otters frequently were more likely to have positive attitudes. We think this might be because otters are not perceived as dangerous to people, and can be very endearing, even when they are ripping up nets or stealing fish,” she said.
This research suggests that conservation efforts towards otters should focus on habitat preservation and the prevention of conflict with the fishery sector. It calls for effective and environmentally-friendly techniques that fishers can employ to prevent otters from entering fishing nets, and traps.
Krithi Karanth, co-author of the study, says, “People’s connection to otters are intertwined with their first-hand observations and socio-cultural connections. If you have seen otters, you cannot help falling in love with them. India being home to some of the most critical populations of otters globally needs to devise locally relevant conservation interventions.”