International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

proportionately increased and the water area percentage must be proportionately decreased, as
the total enclosure or separable enclosure area size is decreased below 240 m 2 .
The formula to determine land to water ratios for enclosures and separable enclosure areas
smaller than 240 m 2 (2,583.4 ft²) is as follows: (Note: the symbol . (a dot/period) indicates a
fraction of a whole number follows after this symbol (e.g. 2.5 = 2 ½) . The symbol , (a comma)
indicates that the entire number is separated into the unit of a thousand/thousands only to make
the reading of that number easier (e.g. 24,000 = twenty four thousand).
The total size of the enclosure or separable enclosure area should first be converted to
square metric units, i.e. m 2 , before continuing with the following calculations. Square feet x
0.093 = square meters. (– = minus) (÷ = divided by) (x = multiplied by) (2.5 = 2 ½ ) (+ = plus)
The m 2 symbol should be eliminated during the following calculations.
240 – the total size of the enclosure or separable enclosure area (with m 2 symbol removed) = A
A ÷ 24 = B
B x 2.5 = C
C + 60 = The minimum land area ratio percentage (%) that is necessary for the enclosure or
separable enclosure area.
The total size of the enclosure or separable enclosure area (whether in m 2 or ft²) x the land area
ratio % just calculated for the area = The minimum land area size in m 2 or ft² required for the
enclosure or separable enclosure area. Each location must have no smaller amount of land area
than the minimum size/proportion just calculated.
For example:
The land to water ratio for an enclosure that is 150m 2 in size would be calculated as such:
240 – 150 = 90; 90 ÷ 24 = 3.75; 3.75 x 2.5 = 9.375; 9.375 + 60 = 69.37% land area. (150 x
69.37 % = 104.05 m 2 (1,120 ft²) land area. [100 – 69.37 % = 30.63 % water area.]
In a 60 m 2 (645.84 ft²) enclosure, the land area would constitute 78.75% [or 47.25 m 2 (508.6 ft²)
land area] of the total enclosure area. The water area would constitute 21.25% (or 12.75 m 2
[137.2 ft²] water area) of the total enclosure area. In a 100 m 2 (1,076.4 ft²) enclosure the land
area would constitute 74.58% [or 74.58 m 2 (802.8 ft²) land area] of the total area.
A written explanation of the aforementioned calculations follows:
It is necessary that calculations to determine land to water ratios for enclosures and separable
enclosure areas smaller than 240 m 2 (2,583.4 ft²) are made and used as follows. The total size of
the enclosure or separable enclosure area should first be converted to square metric units, i.e. m 2 .
(To convert square feet to square meters multiply square feet by 0.093). The m 2 symbol should
then be eliminated during the remaining calculations. The total size of the enclosure or separable
enclosure area (that is smaller than 240 m 2 ) should be subtracted from the number 240. This
new number should then be taken and divided by 24. This newly calculated number should then
be multiplied by 2.5 (i.e. 2 ½). This new number should then be added to the number 60. This
last aforementioned newly calculated number is the minimum land area ratio percentage that is
required for the enclosure or separable enclosure area. (Note: Sixty percent land to 40% water
area is used as the base land to water ratio and 240 m 2 (2,583.4 ft²) total enclosure size is used
as the base enclosure size within the aforementioned calculations. This is based on the 60%
land to 40% water ratio needed for enclosures between 240 m 2 (2,583.4 ft²) to 600 m 2 (6,458.4
ft²) in total size.)
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