Giant otter 781
with few people. Otters occur in lower densities in areas where they are killed by fishers, or prey is scarce because of poor river productivity or overfishing (Trujillo et al., 2015). The Orinoco is a highly productive river with high fish
densities (Lasso et al., 2010) and consequently supports healthy giant otter
populations.Nevertheless, this abundance of fish in an accessible area close to a population centre also encourages fishing. During our study, we identified at least eight fishers’ camps on the rivers Orinoco and Caño Negro, and the city of Puerto Carreño is host to c. 1,000 recreational fishers every fishing season (December–March). Given that killing by fishers is one of the main threats to this otter throughout much of its range (Rosas, 2004; Recharte et al., 2009; Trujillo et al., 2015), we would expect this to occur in a popular fishing area. However, a study carried out amongst fishers in Puerto Carreño in 2018 indicated that 93% believed that otters were not harmful to fishing activity (Garrote, 2019). Nevertheless, there is pressure on fish stocks: both the
number of fish caught and their mean size have fallen sig- nificantly since 2000 (Trujillo et al., 2015). This could poten- tially lead to a decrease in the carrying capacity for the giant otter, and to increased competition between otters and fish- ers, jeopardizing the positive perception that fishers have of this species (Lavigne, 1997). Further threats to the species in the Puerto Carreño area include the illegal trade of skins and the capture of cubs as pets (Cruz Antía et al., 2010; Trujillo et al., 2015). Given the high density of the giant otter in this well-
developed area, our results highlight the importance of this population for the conservation of the species.We will con- tinue to monitor this population, seeking to improve our understanding of the dynamics driving the relative high density and the fishers’ favourable perception of the species.
Acknowledgements This study was carried out within the frame- work of the project ‘Population monitoring and strategies for the conservation of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) in the Bojo- nawi Reserve’, funded by the Fundación Barcelona Zoo and Ayun- tamiento de Barcelona.
Author contributions Study conception and design: GG, FT; data collection and analysis: GG, BC, JME, LP, JT, BM; writing: all authors.
Conflicts of interest None.
Ethical standards This research abided by the Oryx guidelines on ethical standards.
References
ARMAS,E.&PADILLA,A.(2010) Estudio Poblacional: Distribución, Abundancia y Caracterización Acuática del Hábitat del Perro de Agua (Pteronura brasiliensis) en el Área de Caño Limón y su
Zona de Influencia. Technical report, Corporinoquia, Arauca, Colombia.
AYALA,G.&WALLACE,R. (2009) Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) distribution and abundance at Alto Madidi, Parque Nacional Madidi, La Paz, Bolivia. Revista Boliviana de Ecología y Conservación Ambiental, 25, 41–49.
BOTELLO, J.C. (2000) Ecología y comportamiento del lobo del río (Pteronura brasiliensis) la región del bajo río Apaporis, Amazonía Colombiana. BSc thesis, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
CARRASQUILLA, M.C. (2002) Uso de habitat, comportamiento y dieta de la nutria gigante (Pteronura brasiliensis) en el río Orinoco. BSc thesis, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
CARTER,S. & ROSAS, F.C.W. (1997) Biology and conservation of the giant otter, Pteronura brasiliensis. Mammal Review, 7, 1–26.
CRUZ-ANTIA,D. & GÓMEZ, J.R. (2010) Aproximación al uso y tráfico de fauna silvestre en Puerto Carreño, Vichada, Colombia. Ambiente y Desarrollo, 26, 63–94.
DÍAZ, D.L. (2007) Uso de hábitat de nutria gigante Pteronura brasiliensis en segmentos d elos rios Bita y Orinoco en el área de influencia de Puerto Carreño (Colombia). BSc thesis, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
DUPLAIX,N. (1980) Observations on the ecology and behaviour of the giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) in Suriname. Revue d’Écologie, 34, 496–620.
EVANGELISTA,E.&ROSAS, F.C.W. (2011) The home range and movements of giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) in the Xixuaú Reserve, Roraima, Brazil. IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin, 28, 31–37.
FRASER, A., BARRET, J., MARSH, A., SMITH,K.&STIPALE,J.(1993) Giant Otters in the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. Technical report. Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK.
GARROTE,G.(2019) Conservación de la Nutria Gigante (Pteronura brasiliensis) en la Reserva Bojonawi y Río Orinoco (Vichada, Colombia). Technical report. Instituto de Biología de la Conservación, Fundación Omacha, Fundación Barcelona Zoo, Madrid, Spain.
GROENENDIJK, J., DUPLAIX, N.,MARMONTEL, M., VAN DAMME,P. & SCHENCK,C.(2015) Pteronura brasiliensis, Giant otter. In The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T18711A21938411.
dx.doi.org/ 10.2305/
IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS. T18711A21938411.en [accessed 6 March 2020].
GROENENDIJK, J., HAJEK, F., DUPLAIX, N., REUTHER, C., VAN DAMME, P., SCHENCK, C. et al. (2005) Surveying and monitoring distribution and population trends of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)—Guidelines for a standardisation of survey methods as recommended by the giant otter Section of the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group. Habitat, 16, 1–100.
IGAC (1996) Aspectos Ambientales para el Ordenamiento Territorial del Municipio de Mitú, Tomo I. International Global Atmospheric Chemistry, Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia.
LASSO, C.,USMA, J.S., TRUJILLO,F.&RIAL,A.(2010) Biodiversidad de la Cuenca del Orinoco: Bases Científicas para la Identificación de Áreas Prioritarias para la Conservación y Uso Sostenible de la Biodiversidad. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Alexander von Humboldt, WWF Colombia, Fundación Omacha, Fundación La Salle e Instituto de Estudios de la Orinoquia (Universidad Nacional), Bogotá, Colombia.
LAVIGNE, D.M. (1997) Ecological interactions between marine mammals, commercial fisheries, and their prey: unravelling the tangled web. Oceanographic Literature Review, 44, 3–229.
MEDEM,F. (1968) Exterminación de la Fauna en los Llanos Orientales de Colombia Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
Oryx, 2021, 55(5), 779–782 © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605320000058
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164
