A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to be able to test out some of these lesson plans at the Seneca Park Zoo.  Former participants in ZooCamp were invited to a three hour workshop at the Zoo to learn all about otters!  Participants (or as we liked to call each other…Otter Spotters) were also asked to take online pre and post tests to see if their otter knowledge increased after participation in the workshop.  We packed a lot into three hours!  Below are a few photos of some of our adventures throughout the day.

We predicted what a North American river otter’s habitat would look like and what we might find there…

We went to see the otter exhibit and compared the zoo’s habitat for North American river otters to what we predicted in the classroom…

Just for fun we met a few animals who had similar adaptations to otters.  We talked about duck’s webbed feet and water repellent feathers!  Remind you of any other wetland animal???

The Otter Spotters also participated in some fun interactive activities to explore what it would be like to have webbed feet like a North American river otter or finger-like toes similar to a cape clawless otter.  The whole workshop was full of fun and learning with a terrific group of Otter Spotters!  All of the results are not yet in from post-tests but preliminary results show that the participants knew more about otters after the workshop than before.  It was an otterly wonderful day!

Spotted Necked Otter: Jan Reed-Smith, East African Otter Project

Since 2007, otter researcher Jan Reed-Smith’s work with the East African Otter Project (EAOP) has concentrated on a little-known park located in the southwest corner of Lake Victoria.  Rich with elephants, giraffes, chimps, hippos, crocodiles, and otters-Rubondo National Park is one of the few places where the historic Lake Victoria shoreline forests still exist.

As fish poaching has increased over the past two years due to poverty, poor land management, and an increase in fishermen from other areas-the East African Otter Project has stepped up efforts to work with local communities on protecting natural resources on Rubondo Island.  With support from the Columbus Zoo, the EAOP provides books in Swahili and organizes field trips to Rubondo Island for members of local Conservation Clubs.  Tanzanian Hobokela Mwanjengwa received a scholarship from the Columbus Zoo to attend one year of training at the African College of Wildlife Management- training that will help her work effectively with local communities on sustainable use of their natural resources and an improved quality of life.

Help the otter find the fish!

Otters are playful animals that are fun to watch and incredibly cute!  This makes them a favorite in Zoos across the country and in the classroom!  At Otter Spotter we provide materials to be used at the Zoo, in the classroom, or even just at home having fun!

In our Teacher Resources page you will find lesson plans for Science, Math, and ELA.  You will also find the all new Playful Otters page for some fun and games!  Here you will find coloring sheets and printable games for your young otter lover!  Because just like otters, we all deserve to have a little fun!

Asian Small Clawed Otters

A Zoology professor at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, Dr. Padma de Silva has served as the chairperson of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group and currently serves as the Asian Coordinator for this group.  From Nepal to Thailand, Sri Lanka to Cambodia, Dr. de Silva has traveled the world to study otters, educate children and adults, and organize otter experts for in-country workshops on otter survey techniques.

Dr. de Silva notes that in many parts of Asia, people are not aware of the existence of otters in their wetlands. Since Otters are excellent indicators of healthy wetlands and people depend on clean, functioning wetland ecosystems for their survival, conservation of otters and their habitat is imperative.  After organizing successful surveys of otters in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, Dr. de Silva turned her attention to training local biologists on otter survey techniques.  In 2008, a workshop held in Cambodia taught participants how to identify otters from specimens, skins, and photographs from camera traps and how to carry out surveys for otters using direct and indirect evidence.  Scroll through the slideshow below to see photos of biologists learning new tracking techniques in Dr. de Silva’s workshops. Click to view slideshow.

Heather ready for training!

This past week I was lucky enough to get a private photo shoot with two of the Seneca Park Zoo otters while they were having a training session with their ZooKeeper, Catina.
These training sessions are very important to keep the animals physically and mentally active as well as reinforce a positive relationship between the ZooKeeper and the animals they care for.

Admiral and Heather ready to start training! (Heather on the left, Admiral it the middle, and Catina on the right)

Admiral is currently the oldest otter in conservation care at 21 years old! (Check out our post a few months ago about his birthday celebration). But as you can see by these photos it doesn’t slow him down too much!  He is ready for more training and more trout (his fish preference right now). All training is done by positive reinforcement; if the trainer gives the animals a cue and they do the right thing, they get a reward (for otters it is typically fish).  Many trainers also use a clicker, a small tool that makes a clicking sound when you push the button, this is used as a bridge to let the animals know exactly when they have done the right thing and the reward is on the way! If they choose not to do a behavior that is okay too; it is completely their choice.

Admiral waiting for his fishy reward!

The behaviors the otters are trained to do are naturalistic behavior that help to mimic some of the actions they do in wild.  It may be spinning in the water, standing on a stump, laying on their back, lifting a paw, or opening their mouth.  These behaviors can also help for veterinary care.  If an animal is asked to show their stomach, paw, or teeth on a regular basis as part of a fun training routine, when the vets need see these body parts it is not so scary!

As you can see, training is rewarding for the animals, the keepers, and Zoo visitors.  At the Seneca Park Zoo there is an Otter Training Demo that takes place five days a week during the summer months and is a great way to visitors see the otters in action!

As we have learned in the Otter Research and Conservation section, North American river otters were extirpated throughout all of Western New York due to habitat loss, pollution, and trapping. We also know that river otters were released into the waterways of Western New York.  In Distribution of Otters in Monroe County, NY  we learned that RIT researchers surveyed three local creeks to record data on toilet site locations and collect feces in order to determine distribution, as well as perform dietary and genetic analyses.

Photo by Jeff Gerew

For her thesis, Barbara McElwee of RIT used molecular scatology to extract DNA from feces in order to determine the amount of genetic diversity of the reintroduced river otter population. McElwee also analyzed otter scat samples from British Columbia and the Thousand Islands.  McElwee used a Stool Mini Kit to extract mitochondrial DNA from 177 samples.  About 16% of which were successfully amplified and sequenced.  The sequenced scat samples identified two otter, 14 raccoon, one beaver, one coyote, and three fish (common carp, golden redhorse, and shorthead redhorse).

After using mitochondirial DNA to determine the species,  McElwee utilized microsatellite DNA to help determine the genetic variance between individuals.  Microsatellite DNA is located on chromosomes within the nucleus of the cell and is inherited from both parents.  This should enable identification of individuals from microsatellite DNA, but may not necessarily enable determination of species .  McElween used this method to analyze the otters scat samples and included a raccoon sample as well.   Though it was not expected, the river otter microsatellite primer successfully identified microsatellite DNA from the raccoon DNA sample, despite the genetic difference between the two species.

Therefore, the results suggest that the microsatellites, that were thought to be otter specific, were not and thus skewed the results.  After trying different primers, McElwee determined that out of ten river otter microsatellite primers: three river otter primers do not work with raccoons, five primers produced identical or nearly identical sequences, and two primers need more research to determine if they work with raccoons. These results stress the importance of confirming species identification from fecal samples using mitochondrial DNA prior to the use of microsatellites to avoid misleading results.

Prey preference of the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) was studied in a
captive population and evaluated according to optimal foraging theory. Optimal foraging theory can provide explanations and help make predictions about prey preferences based on the theory that animals should maximize their caloric intake and minimize energy output while foraging.

Seneca Park Zoo Otter Photo by Jeff Gerew

To determine how otter prey preferences match up with this optimal foraging models an RIT graduate student, Leslie Thompson, released Live sunfish, brown trout, and crayfish into the otter exhibit pool.  The otter’s search, chase, and handling/eating times were recorded.

When provided with choice of sizes (size trials), otters showed a significant preference for catching and eating large prey first. When given a choice of species (species trials), otters significantly preferred to catch and eat brown trout first. Also, when given dead food items on land the brown trout remained the favorite.

Brown Trout

The preference for brown trout was expected as the prey provided significantly more energy per unit time spent catching it. Though the brown trout did not have significantly more calories than the sunfish, they did require significantly less energy to catch and consume.  Therefore,  preferences for brown trout matched Thompson’s predictions for all the size trials and for all species trials.

Captive river otters exhibit prey preferences that match with predictions based on optimal foraging theory, which can provide insight into dietary habits of wild otter populations. Once again, research with valuable implications for wild animals comes from researchers and Zoo staff working together.

Admiral the North American River Otter (Photo by Jeff Gerew)

A masters thesis completed by Kenny Nelson at RIT was designed to determine how environmental enrichment affected the behavior of a Seneca Park Zoo North American River Otter.  Enrichment is regularly used in Zoos to change a behavior in a captive environment.  This can improve animal welfare by bringing out natural behaviors and combating stereotypic behaviors. A stereotypic behavior is the loss of naturalistic behaviors in captive animals, which are replaced by abnormal behaviors such as pacing.  For the otter in the study, the ZooKeeping staff was seeing a repetitive swimming behavior.

Enrichment can be adding objects, smells, or food to an animal’s exhibit or even modifying enclosure design in an attempt to increase naturalist behaviors in a captive environment.  For his work, Nelson presented four enrichment initiatives to the otter.  These items included live fish, frozen fish, a swim tube, and PVC pipe scent tubes.  These items were giving in a random order and placed throughout the exhibit.

Admiral the North American River Otter Photo by Jeff Gerew

The results showed that food (i.e. live fish and to a lesser degree frozen fish) was most effective in deterring a stereotyped swimming pattern.  Nelson also observed a pattern of where and when the otter spent most of his time; data showed that the otter preferred to spend mornings in the lower level of the exhibit and the afternoons in the upper level.  Food enrichment was more effective when given in the afternoon suggesting that the otters stereotypic behavior was occurring out of a lack of ability to forage.

Results like these can be an enormous help to animal husbandry staff at Zoos and Aquariums all around the country.  Looking at these results the animal husbandry staff can create more opportunities for the animal to forage (by adding enrichment) and therefore increase the animal’s welfare (by decreasing stereotypic behaviors). Studies like this can determine which kind of enrichment works best for a specific species.  Projects like these are exciting ways for researchers and Zoo staff to work together to better the lives of animals.

Otter Crossing Sign in the UK

While searching for some fun new otter photos, which you will find under the Otter Photos section of the blog, I came across the above photo.  This is an otter crossing sign found in the United Kingdom (UK).  The UK is home to the Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra) , which is a one of the 13 otter species and is listed at Near Threatened with ICUN Red List.  According to ICUN one of the many reasons for the decline of the Eurasian river otter is car strikes.  This is a good thing to remember if you live in river otter habitat.  As successful reintroduction projects bring otters back to areas populated by humans we must remember to brake for otters!