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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esponsible for the occurrence of this problem in addition to or independent of the enclosure<br />
conditions. A complete nutritional analysis to determine if the diet fed before Feb. 1997 could<br />
have caused a problem, has not yet been made. The significant exposure that the affected<br />
animal had to hard surfaces at Dortmund could have been responsible for causing his acute<br />
severe walking difficulties. It is not known if the diet could have been responsible in this case.<br />
Two (at Dortmund & Chestnut) of the three affected otters were not exposed to stairs within any<br />
of their enclosures <strong>and</strong> these otters did not encounter other structures/surfaces where they had to<br />
regularly climb on to access or utilize it. I.e. the otters had no surfaces that would have caused<br />
problems if they were to climb on it. Although, at Philadelphia Zoo the giant otters were<br />
exposed to various areas within their indoor building that they had to regularly climb to access<br />
<strong>and</strong> use. A link can not be made between the amount of climbing that was carried out among<br />
the three affected otters. Two (at Dortmund & Philadelphia) of the three affected otters were<br />
kept in enclosures where the majority of the l<strong>and</strong> area was made of hard surfaces, therefore they<br />
had significant exposure to hard surfaces. The third otter (at Chestnut) was housed on soft<br />
surfaces. A link can not be made between the amount of exposure that these three animals had<br />
to hard surfaces. Each of the three otters were fed a different diet. Nutritional analysis has not<br />
been conducted on all three of the affected otters’ diets for comparison, the diets although seem<br />
to be diverse enough (i.e. in simply the types of fish that were fed) that an obvious <strong>and</strong> quick<br />
link can not be made between the diets at a gross level.<br />
Watery Eyes: It has been observed that in captivity giant otters’ eyes can appear significantly<br />
more watery when they are under stress as opposed to when they are in typical/usual situations<br />
(theory posed by C. Schenck via pers. comm. <strong>and</strong> observations made by Sykes-Gatz & Gatz).<br />
Note: sometimes, their eyes become a little watery when they are under normal circumstances.<br />
The otters tear clear liquid when their eyes are watery as described. (When giant otters are<br />
exceedingly stressed they have been observed to foam at the mouth; see above under “Foaming<br />
at the Mouth”.) Any unusual discharge, whether clear or mucous-like in appearance, from the<br />
eyes should be evaluated to determine if a medical problem exists. E.g. a reaction to<br />
environmental factors, such as irritation from chlorine or other chemicals in pool water, or a<br />
health problem, such as an infection, heart problem etc., could exist.<br />
Part B. Reproductive, Physical & Behavioral Characteristics<br />
The physical <strong>and</strong> behavioral development of cubs, cub health, parental behavior, <strong>and</strong><br />
reproductive characteristics that can be monitored without human disturbance <strong>and</strong> presence to<br />
giant otters rearing cubs in captivity should be thoroughly documented <strong>and</strong> shared by each<br />
institution holding giant otters. Other biological (i.e. physiological etc.), physical, <strong>and</strong><br />
behavioral characteristics of this species should also be recorded <strong>and</strong> shared. As well, the same<br />
should be carried out for each wild orphaned <strong>and</strong> captive-born individual h<strong>and</strong>reared (see<br />
Section 5 below for more information). <strong>Otter</strong>s should not be anesthetized <strong>and</strong> no other<br />
potentially stressful, harmful, or dangerous methods (to both otters <strong>and</strong> staff) should be used for<br />
the specific <strong>and</strong> sole purpose of gathering such information. Information should only be<br />
gathered through unintrusive monitoring methods, husb<strong>and</strong>ry training, when animals are<br />
h<strong>and</strong>reared, or when the otter has been anesthetized for some other reason (e.g. for a medical<br />
emergency). [Anesthetizing could be very dangerous to the otter. It is recommended that it<br />
only be carried out when it is absolutely crucial <strong>and</strong> necessary to ensure the survival of the<br />
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