According to a recent Traffic report , researchers counting the number of otters for sale on Facebook in five Southeast Asian countries documented at least between January and mid-May Most sellers offered young small-clawed otters, smaller at less than 10 pounds than their longer-clawed counterparts. They ingest dangerous pesticides and have been losing habitat to development. The pet trade, however, has emerged as the most pressing threat to these otters in the wild, the Traffic report states.
Breeding them in captivity, Krishnasamy says, is possible but difficult. To keep the cubs and parents healthy, owners have to feed them a highly specialized diet and give them shots to prevent infection, such as distemper. To protect the animals, most Southeast Asian countries have enacted laws banning their capture, sale, possession, and transport. Some nations want to prohibit international trade of certain otter species, and at the major upcoming CITES meeting in May, countries will discuss new proposals to move the Asian small-clawed otter and the smooth-coated otter to Appendix I of the treaty.
The uplistings would prohibit all international commercial trade of those species. The Eurasian otter has been listed on Appendix I since Despite these constraints, illegal commerce in pet otters flourishes on social media platforms that have popularized all sorts of exotic animals—from venomous spiders to big cats to talking birds —and made it easier for people to sell them.
According to the Traffic study, the vast majority of Facebook ads were from Indonesia, followed by Thailand. Researchers counted none out of the Philippines, and about 30 from Malaysia and Vietnam combined. One U. She likens their sharp bite to that of a sewing machine piercing fabric. Tom Taylor is the program director for Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand , a nonprofit that rescues wildlife, including otters, from exploitative domestic situations in the country.
In the wild, the freshwater-loving carnivores live in family groups of up to Krishnasamy and others are pushing for better enforcement of existing regulations and stronger laws to protect otters from the pet trade. All rights reserved. Read more about the decisions here. Not only will we let you know if you can have an otter as a pet , we'll look into the different reasons why this might not be the best idea for both legal and practical reasons.
There are only 13 extant species of otter across the world [1]. They are mustelids which means they belong to the same family as weasels, minks and badgers, but form a part of the subfamily Lutrinae. Thanks to hunting, habit destruction and many other human activities, almost all species of otter are either endangered or at least threatened.
Fortunately, many governments and jurisdictions have created contingencies to try to protect these animals. The level of protection and types of otters present vary across different parts of the world.
Not all countries have strict protection laws and many otter populations are already in decline. Some of the different types of otter species include:. The North American river otter is the only river otter found in north of Mexico. It is illegal in all US States to keep this indigenous otter as a pets.
Exotic animals have many guidelines regarding their maintenance in captivity, but possession laws do change depending on the State. It is illegal to keep almost all otters as pets in North America, with one exception. In some states, it is not illegal to keep an Asian small-clawed otter as a pet.
There are several strict guidelines concerning their care and upkeep, but, in theory, you can keep an Asian small-clawed otter as a pet in some states of the USA. The following is a list of reasons why you shouldn't. The otter is not a domesticated animal species. There are many otters kept in captivity, but these are in animal welfare centers, zoos or conservation areas. Some might make an argument that an animal like the cat was not originally domesticated, but now fares well under human co-existence.
However, there is also DNA evidence to suggest that cats were susceptible to the process of domestication and may have even domesticated themselves [3]. There is little similar evidence to suggest otters want to do the same.
So, here are some of the reasons you should not keep an otter as a pet:. Above all, otters are wild animals that are happiest in their natural habitats and are not meant to be kept in our homes. You may have seen videos on YouTube of otters playing in people's homes, but often these videos lack context. You may not realize that the otter is likely there only as a stop gap in a larger conservation effort. Otters should not live in a domestic household, and a demand for pet otters helps drives illegal animal trade and decimate wild populations.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN has previously released a general, but not exhaustive, guideline to keeping otters in captivity [4]. However, keeping otters in captivity is not the same as keeping an otter as a pet. Conservationists may need to keep an otter in captivity for protection, post-rescue or for research purposes.
This is usually at the behest of a larger authority, often governmental. Keeping an otter in a home is a surefire way to destroy anything valuable you own. Otters need plenty of environmental enrichment. If you don't provide sufficient environmental enrichment , they will likely find it for themselves, probably among your things. The IUCN guidelines don't even provide a the space for a single otter as otters are social animals that need at least one other otter for company.
Space alone is not enough to mimic the otter's natural ecosystem. Asian small-clawed otters - the only otter sometimes allowed as pets - need a mixture of land and water in their enclosure. Both these habitats need to be well-tended. As the otters like to make a burrow in the land, you will need to have the right sort of soil ans terrain.
They also need have enough elements such as trees and branches to scavenge. As wild animals, otters will not want to be kept in a small enclosure and their dexterous claws mean they will try to climb or dig their way out.
This requires a fence which is not climbable and has a horizontal ledge at the top. Otters can also dig, so the enclosure will need to have deep walls underground. For enrichment, otters will need walkways, natural shrubbery, nesting boxes and lots of options for safe digging and foraging.
The water not only needs to be the right temperature your local climate may not be able to maintain this correct temperature , but it needs to be free of disease-promoting bacteria. If the water is not sufficiently well cleaned, it can lead to the quick death of the otter. The food they eat will also need to be considered with an appropriate diet and at least g of food per day for each animal. Not only do you need the right enclosure and dietary resources to take care of a pet otter, but you need to have access to specialists in your neighborhood.
Veterinarians are well trained in looking after a variety of animals, but most will not have the specific training required to look after the health and well-being of an otter. If you were able to find one, the cost of their expertise would be prohibitively expensive to most households.
Please be better than that and get a pet that we breed for generations. I understand how people strongly oppose having otters as pets. These animals are also preys in the wild and keeping these animals as pet increase their chances of survival greatly. I was headstrong about owning an otter and this article actually dissuaded me Or someone actually get it and have no proper information on how to care for it?
Listen people, trying to stifle information will only lead to more of that thing your trying to stop This article is very upfront and honest, however when reading the comments I was overwhelmed with all the ignorance. I have to say that most though not all of the comments cause me extreme concern regarding our society today.
I just have no words for it! Great job on this article, Melissa! Sometimes people can't handle the truth. I guess they'd much rather be coddled and have everything handed to them SMH.
It's scary to think of what it'll be like in just more years. I thank you for the info! And for those shaming her in the comments. But if you do decide to own an otter telling you how to properly care for your new family member. Stop being sensitive everyone. You should remove this article and every advise on owning exotic pets. All you say and recommend is ethically against your Vet degree!
I do not even need to mention you all the reasons why. You should be ashamed Mellissa! A certified veterinarian giving advise on how to get an exotic animal to own as a pet? They belong in the wild, where they can swim, run, hunt and live freely. In the wild they live in families of up to 15, which contrasts with their life in captivity.
Not to mention the sad ways in which they are breed, in cages, only to then be separated from their significant others. Animals and mostly exotic ones are not our toys or our means to make money. Shame on you! You just made that up and got angry for no reason. All 13 species of otters are wild animals, extremely sensitive to environmental changes, and are a marking, latrine species.
Over half of all 13 otter species are endangered or vulnerable and are not legally breed - they have to be capture, usually by killing the mother and confiscating the pups. I just bought a baby otter and it is really scared and it attack me how to tame and make him bite me.
Unless you do what Joseph Carter does for his mink to keep them busy, I wouldn't recommend them as pets to most people. Even ferrets are not necessarily easy pets but the first thing I would recommend as a mustelid for a pet.
Valentina z not all exotic pets are ripped away from their habitat some are rescued. Also do you own any dogs or cats? They werent always domesticated they were rescued or ripped away from thier habitat as well for generations. Its not like they are using them for fur or food. When you see horror movies about canibbals or something you feel freaked out do you eat meat how do you think the cows,pigs and lambs feel and so on.
Point is people that invest this kind of money on pets love them. If i found a fox or coyote i would raise it. Do you know they have a higher rate of dying of starvation in the wild or dehydration or cars or other animals or hundreds of other things can kill them.
My dogs have full access to run outside and play in the backyard but they choose to stay inside on a bed watching tv and eatting treats.
Just saying because you want an exotic pet doesnt make you a bad person. They force them, they are not pets, they are not our possession, they belong to nature! Poor animals in those cages, would you like to be in jail? On one hand, this sounded somewhat cute but some of the things you listed as negatives really turn me off owning an Otter as a pet. Are there any research programs to help repopulate endangered species of otters such as the Congo clawless otter which so little is known about.
It could benefit the scientific community as well since little is known about their behaviors. People in Japan are notorious for doing whatever they want and making it work. They would come to the nano-reef forums posting spotless 10 gallon tanks loaded with fish including tangs. They have exotic pet stores with meerkats in rabbit cages. I don't approve but it amazes me the animals aren't showing obvious signs of distress.
Well I did come come across an instragram account of a pet otter in Japan, and I never saw a outdoor cage in the account. Would it require witchcraft for an otter to stay alive like that? Also They really have an annoying squeal. Health Problems. Freshwater Pets. Freshwater Aquariums. Saltwater Pets.
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