BENGALURU: Smooth-coated Otters, which are found in Tungabhadra, Cauvery, Kabini and other rivers and wetlands across the country, are facing a high risk of extinction. This is due to the fact that they are severely-affected by poaching, habitat loss, fishing and conflict with fishermen. For instance, overfishing and sand mining has killed otters in the Cauvery, and hunting by nomads for its meat and skin has further worsened the situation.
With Smooth-Coated and Small-Clawed otters and the Indian Star Tortoise getting the highest protection under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), these riverine species need much more protective measures for its survival in the days to come, experts opine.
India’s proposal for the highest level of protection under CITES was accepted, with 50 per cent of the global otter pelt seizures occurring in India. At the recently concluded CITES conference at Geneva, all three species were moved from Appendix II to I. With this, any commercial global trading of these species is now prohibited. However, sounding caution, wildlife officials and otter experts say that not just these, it is the loss of its habitat to farming and illegal fishing that is threatening the existence of the species.
Otter researcher Ankit Moun said with most of the species living outside protected areas (PA), they are severely affected. He added, “They are doing well inside PAs like in Tungabhadra Otter Reserve, but fishing and snaring outside this, is killing them. Habitat degradation and over-fishing are equally responsible for their disappearance. In some areas, if they are recovering, in other places, they need protection.”Further, experts said these carnivores are at the top of the food chain in river ecosystems, so their protection should be top priority.
Pompayya Malemath, honorary wildlife warden, Ballari district, said although otters have got protection in the form of a reserve over a stretch of 32 kilometers in Tungabhadra, forest staff manning this long stretch is inadequate. He adds, “With 100 per cent over-fishing and lack of regulation on the size of fishing nets, the otter species have been affected adversely. There is an urgent need to involve local villages and fishermen and educate them on the serious consequences as otters are apex species.”
A forest official added that with CITES setting the rules for global trade in wild fauna and flora, it will reverse the decline in their populations as also rapid loss of biodiversity. He further said, “Illegal hunting and fishing has threatened otters to a large extent, as any action against farmers has resulted in problems for the concerned range officials. CITES is a powerful tool for species conservation through regulation of trading. And moving these species to Appendix -I will curb, to some extent, the demand for its skin and meat, and also as pets in Japan.”