International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

study. They also have been successfully adjusting to new/unusual situations. See the behaviors
exhibited during cub-rearing before and during two of these animals’ recoveries in Section 10
below.
The last or fourth aforementioned individual otter seemed to be very “wary” of soft loose natural
substrates in the first week of initial exposure to this surface. Within the next days he became
more comfortable with the substrates. (Initially he walked on top of and investigated the mulch
and sand in a very cautious, suspicious, and fearful manner. He also had the same fear for the
bamboo and cardboard boxes in his enclosure. He was also fearful of any change to or within
his enclosure or any movement made by his caretakers. He had just been moved to a new
facility, although these reactions to such a change have not been reported to occur in other giant
otters.) After the first 1 1/2 weeks, he was introduced to his new female mate, who had
completely healthy terrestrial and mental/health behaviors, and whom he had been watching on
the other side of his enclosure. This male who did not yet exhibit digging and grooming
behaviors, initiated these behaviors to a extraordinarily high frequency, duration and intensity on
the day that he was first physically introduced to his new mate. He also used the entire enclosure
land area to carry out these behaviors. He used the bamboo with great frequency and played
with the cardboard boxes on the same day. (See a full description in the paragraph below.) It
although took him several more months after he was first introduced to his new housing
conditions (and new mate), to act normally (i.e. without abnormally elevated or excessive levels
of fear) to any new changes and his caretakers.
Although, the following events occurred when the last aforementioned animal and his new mate,
which were first given a proper visual-acoustic-olfactory introduction because they were
unfamiliar with each other, underwent their first day of a full physical contact introduction.
(Their enclosures, which were adjacent to each other, had appropriate land to water ratios,
substrates, and deep digging areas as well as plentiful natural furnishings and toys. Their two
separate enclosures, which were divided by an introduction fence, were connected for the
physical introduction.) Both individuals, with an extraordinarily increased amount of duration,
intensity, and frequency, as compared to an otter under normal circumstances, groomed and dug
deep into the mulch and sand throughout their entire enclosures. They also, to the same
extraordinary degree, manipulated and played with the plentiful supply of standing,
overhanging, or just pulled down "man-made bamboo stands" throughout their enclosures. (The
bamboo stands were made as recommended, see Chapter 2 Section 4.) They carried out these
behaviors, to an extraordinary degree, over several hours. (They had opportunity to carry out
other behaviors, such as swimming etc. to this unique degree, but they did not.) This
significantly reduced their stress and prevented them from focusing solely on each other during
the full-contact introduction. The bamboo and logs in their enclosures also gave them plentiful
area to lay or rest behind when they wanted to get away from the other otter for a break in the
tension. The nestboxes were closed to prevent entrapment during the introduction. Although
there was a significant degree of tension and stress during the first several hours of the
introduction as could be expected, excessive or abnormally elevated stress and tension, and
serious fighting did not develop. A worse situation could have easily developed if they were
kept in inappropriate enclosure conditions and had nothing else better than each other or the
intensity and tension etc. of the situation, to solely focus their attentions on. These animals were
able to stay together permanently from their first full day of contact onwards. It was a highly
successful introduction and the otters adjusted well to each other within the first day of fullcontact.
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