OTTERS
Not your pet!
FACTS
- Vietnam are where two endangered river otters are living: the Asian small-clawed otter and Smooth- coated otter
- Otterly social creatures. They live in family groups in the wild.
- Feeds on fish, crab. Very territorial to other otter groups outside their families
SMALL-CLAWED OTTER
Aonyx cinereus
SMOOTH-COATED OTTER
Lutrogale perspicillata
THREATS
Both Small-clawed otter and Smooth-coated otter are listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List
River Otter are under great danger due to illegal pet trade, fur trade, habitat destruction and reduction in available prey.
THE PET TRADE IS HURTING OTTERS!
WHAT SVW HAS BEEN DOING
TO SAVE THE SMALL-CLAWED OTTERS
04/2018 – Nam Dinh – Rescued 1 small-clawed otter
11/2018 – Nam Dinh – Rescued 10 small-clawed otters
01/2019 – Ha Noi – Rescued 1 baby small-clawed otter
08/2019 – Tranferred from Yok Don National Park (Dak Lak) – 1 baby small-clawed otter
11/2019 – Nghe An – Rescued 15 small-clawed otter
- Rescued otters will get their health check by our vets monthly or weekly depends on their current condition
A rescued otter getting her first health check at SVW center ©SVW – Tran Phuong Mai
- Otters will be fed by our keepers 2 meals per day, with a good nutrition with various food, mainly fish, crabs, shrimps. etc.
Fishcake eating his breakfast ©SVW – Sam Tippetts
- Before release back to the wild, otters will spend some time in the semi-wild rehabilitation enclosures we built in 2019 (crowdfunded by the good donors of SVW)
A corner of our semi-wild rehabilitation enclosure ©SVW – Tran Van Truong
Fishcake’s first time in the semi-wild enclosure ©SVW – Nguyen Ngoc Quynh Nhu
HOW TO HELP?
Fishcake was brought to us on 25th January 2019. When she arrived she was still a baby and the vet needed to feed her with milk. When rescued otters arrive at SVW they are given a health check and then checked and weighed every day.
We closely monitor how they are eating and absorbing food. We can also see if they have any other health problems.
Fishcake was then raised by SVW vets and keepers and changed to a fish diet after 2 months.
When you symbolically adopt Fishcake for one year, you are helping the Asian small-clawed otters rescued by our team from illegal pet trade .
All $50 you donate will go directly to the species' rescue, rehabilitation and release program:
- Our otter rescue trips
- Medical treatments for injured otters
- Food (fish, meat, crabs,etc.)
- Milk for handrearing baby otters
- Construction/ Upgrade their rehab enclosures
- Trips to release them back to the wild.
All the details about otters' well-being will be updated in our monthly newsletter.
