International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

contact introduction, i.e. to stop serious fights etc.. The animals must not be left
unsupervised or unmonitored during the full-contact introductions. Information about the
introduction’s progression as well as the husbandry and management methods used should be
recorded during the entire introduction process. I.e. records should be maintained on the otters’
behavior, length of the visual introduction period and each particular physical full-contact
period, occurrence of injuries, enclosure conditions provided etc..
Visual introductions/familiarization with introduction fences must be used before full
contact is allowed (see the paragraph below). Experienced staff must closely observe and
monitor the otters’ behavior and use good common sense and intuition to judge at what pace the
introductions should progress. The otters’ behavior will be the best indicator to determine
what time is the safest to begin physical full-contact introductions, how long they should be
and when to increase or decrease the full-contact introduction time allotments or stop
them. The time otters are allowed to stay together in full-contact should be dependent on
the level of tolerance, stress, tension, tiredness and aggressiveness that develops.
Vocalizations, esp. the type, frequency and intensity of them, movements and position of the
body, aggressive and defensive behaviors, tolerance/patience, interest levels in the other otter,
submissiveness, dominance etc. should all be closely observed. Otters have nine different
vocalization types and many sub-categories exist for each type (Duplaix 1980). It is important
that the observers are aware of what the different vocalizations mean. For example, humming
which is a positive contact vocalization, is a positive sign. Although, when this sound is
changed into a much lower tone, it means that the otters are irritated or upset by something, and
will carry out aggressive behaviors if the situation they are faced with continues or increases in
intensity. As well, when otters hum excessively (i.e. hum for an abnormally long time or/and
unusually frequently) this is not necessarily a positive sign and these sounds can mean that the
otters are stressed, nervous or anxious (Sykes-Gatz & Gatz pers. obs.). It has been observed that
in captivity giant otters’ eyes can appear significantly more watery when they are under
stress as opposed to when they are in typical/usual situations (theory posed by Schenck pers.
comm. and observed by Sykes-Gatz & Gatz). Note: sometimes, their eyes become a little
watery when they are under normal circumstances. When their eyes are watery they tear clear
liquid. (Reaction to environmental factors should be considered as well if this is seen as a
medical problem. E.g. it could be a reaction to chlorine or other chemicals in the water etc. If
discharge is not clear and water-like, then it could also be a medical problem.) This species in
captivity has been observed to have significant amounts of foamy saliva coming from the
mouth when they are exceedingly anxious, excited, nervous, or stressed (Sykes-Gatz and Gatz,
pers obs.).
After both otters show continued positive reactions during the visual-acoustic-olfactory
contacts, full tactile contact should be attempted. It is important that throughout the
entire introduction process otters have visual introduction. When otters can not see, smell
and hear each other this may likely cause a set-back in the introduction process. Also, some
animals may take an immediate interest in the other and some may take a little while before they
show interest. Both animals should show continued positive interest in each other before fullcontact
is offered. If one otter shows a lot of/normal interest in the other and the other does not,
problems could occur if a full-contact introduction was initiated. Visual introductions have
been carried out for approx. one, two, four, and six weeks long and longer before full-contact
introductions were allowed to take place. In several cases, total introduction time (including
visual-acoustic-olfactory and full-contact introductions) has taken approx. one, two, five, and
eight weeks long to be successfully accomplished.
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