International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

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ecommended natural furnishings, such as large logs, bamboo stands ("man-made" or/and live growing), deep leaf piles etc. should be provided as well (see Section 4 above). Water areas must also be constructed so that they are safe for cubs and parents carrying cubs (see Section 7 above). See Section 9 for when indoor enclosures and indoor water areas are needed. See, in Section 1 above, the enclosure size that should be provided and Section 15 below for toys that can be offered for additional enrichment. Note: some indoor enclosures, that connect to outdoor enclosures, do not require water areas, although all of the other enclosure conditions recommended in this manual are necessary for all indoor areas, regardless of their size. The aforementioned enclosure conditions are esp. crucial during cub-rearing for other reasons as well. When indoor and/or outdoor enclosure land to water ratios offer smaller land proportions than recommended or/and land/floor surfaces are not nearly entirely covered with soft loose natural substrates (including appropriate types, qualities, and depths) or provided with sufficient size deep digging areas as recommended, the otters' ability to successfully rear cubs can be adversely affected or seriously compromised. This not only includes the ability of parents, but also any older siblings that might be present during cubrearing. (Note: older siblings help to care for their younger siblings.) This is because these inappropriate enclosure conditions can cause abnormally elevated or excessive levels of stress during cub-rearing. (See Sections 3B for an explanation and 10A & C.) It is also important to note that when otters must rear cubs in very small areas this may likely cause additional stress. At least the recommended minimum enclosure size (see Section 1 above) should be provided. It is important to remember that during cub-rearing, in cold temperatures, otter families may need to be held in indoor enclosures, without outdoor access, for as long as 4-5 months. It is necessary that enclosures are as enriched as possible during cub-rearing. Note: the enclosure provisions already discussed are the most important forms of environmental and behavioral enrichment and as aforementioned, they are also necessary to maintain health and promote cub-rearing success. If although, additional enrichment can be offered during rearing without disturbing the parents, this is highly advisable. For example, toys for additional enrichment that are safe for the young cubs and family members, and that can be placed in enclosures and left without removal or be removed quietly and quickly when necessary should be provided. Toys for behavioral enrichment should only be used as addition to and never as a substitute for the recommended enclosure designs and furnishings. Efforts must be made to minimize stress/disturbance factors as much as possible in order to increase the possibility of cub survival. Parents must be provided with privacy and isolation from humans disturbances (visual and acoustic) and presence (zoo staff and visitors) at parturition and during cub-rearing. It is important that husbandry practices and enclosure designs and furnishings allow for the provision of fresh food, minimized/limited enclosure cleaning, medical/emergency care necessary to ensure the survival of the animals, and monitored cub progress, with no or minimal human disturbance to the otters during cubrearing. (See below for the rare cases when nestboxes, dens etc. may need to be entered so that care, essential to ensure the survival of the otters, can be given.) The recommended management methods within this manual and/or the particular “enclosure design” below are needed to provide privacy. “Enclosure design” means that otters could successfully rear their cubs when the enclosures were natural or semi-natural and expansive, at least 600m² (6,458.4 ft²) or more in size, and the otters could dig their own dens underground to keep their cubs in. When the particular “enclosure design” aforementioned is provided, 154
the husbandry practices recommended during cub-rearing are also necessary to provide privacy. The only husbandry practice that might not be necessary is the isolation of the entire enclosure from visitor viewing. If the enclosure is very expansive, i.e. well above 600m², this may likely not be required. When the enclosure is not very expansive it might need to be isolated from visitor viewing. E.g. the enclosure at Brasilia Zoo is 635m² and it has many natural underground dens, but the exhibit is also sunken well below visitor level and this contributed to additional privacy. Note: keeper activities were significantly minimized as well. For some litters, visitor viewing was also restricted. See Part A above. Section 12 below lists the institutions that used expansive enclosure designs and/or natural underground dens during successful cub-rearing and it includes a brief description of each enclosure. See throughout Chapter 2 for more details on some of the enclosures and cub-rearing experiences. The provision of expansive 1 complexly and naturally enriched enclosures with hills that offer otters ample area to dig underground dens is optimal. 1 Within this manual “expansive enclosure” means any enclosure that is 600 m 2 [6,458.4 ft²] or larger. The larger, more complex, and natural the enclosure, the more benefits gained. (The enclosure also requires the recommended land and water area designs and locations [esp. appropriate land to water ratios that provide enough land], substrates, deep digging area sizes, and hill designs and locations to offer these benefits.) This type of living area provides optimal enrichment and living conditions for giant otters and it is very important to help aid successful cub-rearing. This is because the larger the enclosure, the further parents can get away from human disturbances and presence during cub-rearing (i.e. the more privacy they have) and as well, natural underground dens provide additional visual and acoustic isolation. The otters are offered an optimal area where they can carry out, to the fullest extent possible in captivity, the innate terrestrial behaviors that are among the most important activities needed to allow these animals to significantly reduce or prevent the negative responses (i.e. stress, nervousness, boredom etc.) that can occur and cause significant problems (e.g. litter loss) during cub-rearing. Dens that the otters dig themselves provide a great amount of isolation in combination with an expansive enclosure or an enclosure that is totally isolated. These den types are highly recommended and are very important to promote successful cub-rearing in all enclosures. Wild Pteronura use the multiple underground dens that they dig within their vast territory, to rear cubs and sleep in. When given the appropriate conditions, i.e. substrate types and hill designs as recommended, captive Pteronura will also dig many underground dens throughout the expanse of the hillsides/banks provided and use them for the same purposes. Underground dens are fairly visually and acoustically isolated, i.e. more so than a wooden nestbox, natural for otters to rear their litters in, and private and safe feeling for the otters. They do not have to be serviced or maintained by keepers because the soft loose substrates in them keep the dens clean, dry, and sanitary when land to water ratios, other land and water area designs and locations, substrates, and hillside locations and designs are provided as recommended. (No bedding materials need to be offered within them.) The fact alone that humans usually do not enter underground dens (esp. in comparison to a nestbox, den containing a nestbox, or artificial underground nestbox), adds to feeling of seclusion and safety from human intrusions and disturbances. Giant otter enclosures and any buildings housing such enclosures should be designed and located within the zoo so that they can be isolated from all visitors/public and zoo staff during cub-rearing, yet still allow minimal keeper activity in limited areas without creating human disturbance. It is necessary to provide multiple nestboxes, dens containing nestboxes, or natural underground dens where human entrance can be restricted during cub-rearing (see below). Nestboxes, dens, and areas for underground 155
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International Giant Otter Studbook
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Dear reader, With this, the second
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Section 2 Introduction to Substrate
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Parental Behavior Overview.........
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Introduction This manual is a secon
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Contributing Institutions/Individua
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Dortmund Zoo: Current Director: Dr.
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Giant Otter Characteristics (The fo
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Chapter 1 Husbandry and Management
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informal international network has
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are only released into the wild, th
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malfunctions, due to severe inbreed
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maturity (i.e. at 2 years old), the
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emaining 3 institutions bred otters
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elow 240 m² (2,583.4 ft²) in size
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difficulties/abnormalities to a mod
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are to the water, but it is also de
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deep digging areas as recommended,
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greater problems. I.e. the ability
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additions that can be made to enclo
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(esp. around approx. 10 to 11 years
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Hagenbecks Tierpark Giant Otter Vac
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Dietary Related Problems: Diarrhea
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times over 10 years) then disappear
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Thyroid Malfunctions: see Chapter 1
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unpublished report 1997). His hind
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vitamin B 1 tablet and one 400 IU v
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otters were exposed to in their enc
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animal, e.g. for serious/life threa
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conditions/problems can be identifi
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that the otters are very familiar a
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Section 5 Handrearing Captive-Born
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Chapter 5 for how to measure, Chapt
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proper authorities (i.e. park offic
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oth cubs were adopted by a wild ott
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Chapter 2: Husbandry and Management
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The following conditions (i.e. Numb
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The provision of the conditions lis
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proportionately increased and the w
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does not offer the same advantages
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*Note: Duplaix’s guidelines for o
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dry easily, drain well, and be resi
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It is necessary that every indoor a
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Deep Digging Area Necessary For Eac
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play, exercise etc. on. Note: when
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Cleaning Procedures for Substrates
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[4”] in width, could be placed 10
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The aforementioned problems are cau
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difficulties/abnormalities involvin
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they could cause similar walking di
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It is not uncommon that pink foot/t
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No additional or detailed informati
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Page 131 and 132: Section 5 Locations and Designs for
Page 133 and 134: all substrates) with/without vegeta
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Page 137 and 138: Enclosures between 240 m² to 600 m
Page 139 and 140: other than substrates, and toys fro
Page 141 and 142: to help prevent water filtration/dr
Page 143 and 144: Section 10B discusses the locations
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Page 155: expansive enclosures are available
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Page 161 and 162: Chapter 1 for studies that should b
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Page 167 and 168: was moved to another enclosure (Gat
Page 169 and 170: Inbreeding, physical, behavioral, a
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Page 173 and 174: Section 12 Natural Underground Dens
Page 175 and 176: 22.34 ft] (11 sites) ; Kabo creek (
Page 177 and 178: Section 13 Den Construction “Den
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Page 183 and 184: Section 15 Toys & Methods for Addit
Page 185 and 186: Although once items such as cardboa
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Page 189 and 190: Section 18 Introducing Unfamiliar &
Page 191 and 192: have been housed together and then
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Page 195 and 196: Section 19 Diet and Feeding Only go
Page 197 and 198: Cuiaba Zoo in Brazil (Marcato de Ol
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Page 201 and 202: Captive giant otters have been obse
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it stays close to the target. This
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these births may go undetected. Ult
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those working with her, from being
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ody temperatures to be taken, when
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abnormally frequent or excessive, i
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with a male (other than growing up
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of course, because information rega
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seen entering the shelter alone, bu
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At Hagenbeck Tierpark, Wünnemann (
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52.5 cm [20.6"]. It is assumed that
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cub weight growth curve in Graph 2
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contain glucose rather than sucrose
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and frequency after each toileting/
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Section 4 Toileting: To produce eli
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when no other better formula is ava
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prepared artificial milk replacers
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avoid dietary problems and help cub
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formula is accomplished. When cubs
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suggested above. The same feeding f
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successfully can often be difficult
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should then be allowed to lick the
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The general guideline that food/for
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very gently dipped in the bowl into
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enough), and explore while under su
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dig into, well-draining etc.) are n
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ecome healthy and their housing can
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Section 16 Companion Cubs and Handr
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Cubs must exercise and explore to p
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Table 3 : Summary of the internatio
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Table 5 : International giant otter
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Days/ Months Sex Weight/Length (ent
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Table 7: Adult Giant Otter Weights
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Graph 2 : Giant Otter Cub Weight Gr
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Duplaix, N. 1980. Observations on t
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asiliensis, Gmelin, 1788) No Zooló
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Otter Colloquium Pietermaritzburg 1
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