International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

was moved to another enclosure (Gatz pers. comm. 1996). The two litters born after these
separations occurred were both eaten by the mother within 2 days after parturition. Litter loss
resulted because the mother was under a great deal of stress (i.e. she was nervous, frustrated,
and exhibited excessive stereotypical behaviors etc.) from the massive change and disturbance
caused by the separation.
Separating the parents is not recommended for more reasons than only the significant
chance that it will result in litter loss. Because mated pairs bond for life, breaking this bond
can cause both individuals significant stress whether they are cub-rearing or not (Sykes-Gatz
and Gatz, pers. obs.). Also, if parents are separated and introduced to other partners multiple
times, this may have a significantly negative effect on the otters’ behavior. In addition, reintroducing
any giant otters that have been separated, can be in some cases, especially difficult,
dangerous/injurious to the otters and sometimes impossible. For example, giant otters that were
housed together, temporarily separated, then re-introduced had serious fights during their reintroductions
(see below). These fights led to injuries. The female also tried to kill her former
mate during the re-introduction process and in the other case, the re-introduction attempt was
aborted because it was unsuccessful due to the aggression that occurred during the introduction
(Sykes-Gatz and Gatz pers. obs. 2001; Brasilia Zoo, pers. comm. 2002). See Section 18 as well
as Section 3B for more introduction information.
A very compatible pair that was kept together for 7 years and that had many litters together was
separated for eight months and housed far away from each other during the separation
(Dortmund Zoo, Sykes-Gatz unpublished report & pers. obs. & Gatz pers. obs.). Just after the
separation, the female was introduced to a new male, although this pair proved to be
incompatible. The introduction took 5 weeks to accomplish and it was very difficult to
introduce the animals, because the female’s ability to adjust to this new situation was seriously
compromised because of inappropriate enclosure conditions. It was very difficult as the female
was extremely stressed, nervous, and acting in a neurotic manner (e.g. she performed extreme
stereotypical swim pacing behaviors). This resulted because of being separated from her
previous mate and being housed in an enclosure that did not offer the conditions necessary to
reduce stress and other negative responses during all (including new/unusual) situations. (She
was also housed in such enclosures for most of her life and it seems this was responsible for her
general unhealthy mental state during normal circumstances. Note: her mate also suffered
similar problems. See Chapter 2 Section 3 and below.) Even with four weeks of visual
introduction and one week of full-contact introductions (the length of the full-contact periods
were gradually increased over the week), the female was very aggressive and extremely
domineering. She initiated serious fights and even tried to kill the male during the introduction
period. Although the pair became compatible enough after the introduction to live together
without the female inflicting injury to her new partner, the female remained so domineering
over the male that eventually he was not able to eat enough food to maintain a healthy weight.
This pair had to be separated after 8 months of being paired. The female again became
extremely stressed, nervous, and neurotic because of the same conditions as mentioned above.
Just after this separation, she was re-introduced to her original partner. It took approx. 2 months
(with visual introduction for 40 days and then physical full-contact introduction for 18 days) to
fully reintroduce them. For the same reasons as above, the controlled and closely monitored
introduction was long, very difficult, and both of the otters were extremely stressed and nervous,
and they fought many times. (The female was very dominant and was the aggressor; she
initiated the fights and even tried to kill the male.) After 2 months the pair was finally fully
introduced, and gradually, after a few months (during which both animals were exceedingly
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