International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management
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times over 10 years) then disappear without medical treatment. (At least one time they were<br />
treated, although it is unclear whether they faded away naturally or the treatment was<br />
successful.) They did/do not seem to bother the otters <strong>and</strong> their cause/identification is unknown<br />
(scrapings of the lesions have been analyzed but they revealed nothing conclusive) (Osmann,<br />
pers. comm.). (See Chapter 1 Section 2 under inbreeding <strong>and</strong> thyroid malfunctions causing the<br />
death of the cubs at Dortmund Zoo. These were the cubs that were observed to have lesions at<br />
Dortmund. The parents of these cubs also had lesions <strong>and</strong> the parents themselves resulted from<br />
two generations of inbreeding.) Flügger (pers. comm. 2003) commented that these lesions<br />
might occur when the otters’ immune system is compromised. It is also interesting to note that<br />
a picture of a very young orphaned wild giant otter cub that had been taken to a wildlife<br />
rehabilitation center had similar looking lesions as aforementioned (the photo was taken by<br />
Lazzarini). This cub died the day it was brought in from a blocked urethra. Note: these lesions<br />
are different than <strong>and</strong> not related to those described under poor foot condition because of<br />
exposure to inappropriate enclosure conditions. See below under “Miscellaneous”.<br />
Low Heat Tolerance: Captive giant otters have been observed to have a low heat tolerance<br />
(Carter & Rosas 1997; Sykes-Gatz & Gatz pers. comm.).<br />
Mental/Behavioral Health Problems <strong>and</strong> Abnormalities: It is not uncommon that giant otters<br />
carry out some essential behaviors in an unhealthy <strong>and</strong> abnormal way <strong>and</strong> that these otters are<br />
also mistakenly thought to be exhibiting healthy <strong>and</strong> normal behavior. These problems are<br />
caused by inappropriate enclosure conditions <strong>and</strong> such conditions result because of general<br />
misconceptions about otter behavior. Inappropriate enclosure conditions can negatively affect<br />
the otters’ ability to successfully rear cubs, adjust to new/unusual situations, <strong>and</strong> maintain<br />
mental/behavioral (as well as physical) health. See a discussion of these problems in Chapter 2<br />
Section 3.<br />
Miscellaneous: The necropsy of a 4 1/2 month old captive born male cub did not reveal the<br />
cause of death. Although, before its death it was noted to have a “grayish circular spot –<br />
about 1.5 cm [0.59”] in diameter” on its tail. This cub was also smaller <strong>and</strong> less developed<br />
than its only sibling, its sister, who survived to independence. “Some days after birth, this<br />
specimen showed very little signs of progress, compared with its sister <strong>and</strong> depended always on<br />
its mother’s help for feeding until its death.” (Autuori & Deutsch 1977)<br />
In captivity, giant otters have been reported to take up large mouth fulls of s<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> it<br />
appears that they also purposely (i.e. not by accident) swallowed s<strong>and</strong> as well. (A few<br />
institutions have reported these occurrences.) <strong>Giant</strong> otters also have been reported to bite off<br />
pieces of bark from large logs <strong>and</strong> it appears that these pieces were chewed up <strong>and</strong><br />
swallowed as well. On the rare occasion they also have been observed to chew on mulch (i.e.<br />
tree bark) pieces <strong>and</strong> might have swallowed the rare piece as well. On other occasions they<br />
have been seen to chew on <strong>and</strong> bite off pieces of wood on the corners of their wooden nestboxes<br />
or the edges of other structures made of wood. No harm or health problems were reported to<br />
have been caused by any of these actions. The otters do not seem to be able to bite on wood<br />
structures that have no edges or no corners <strong>and</strong> there are no known reports that otters have done<br />
such. It has not been proven necessary to line the inside of wooden transport crates with<br />
fence/lattice when transporting giant otters <strong>and</strong> this is not advisable E.g. <strong>Giant</strong> otters have been<br />
transported successfuly <strong>and</strong> without problems from distances as far as South America to Europe<br />
when wooden transport boxes were not lined with fence/lattice. Exposure to fence/lattice on the<br />
inside of crates could likely cause damage to the otters’ delicate sensitive foot pads, webbing<br />
<strong>and</strong>/or skin.<br />
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