Rescued — Otter Pup

Meet ‘Jump’ the female oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) who was brought in a few days ago by some people that claimed they found her in a Bangkok suburb. We were told they found her running near a busy road ‘shouting’ for help (otters scream very loud when they are hungry), so they picked her up and called us for help, luckily we were able to help so they headed straight to the WFFT Wildlife Rescue Centre.
Oriental small-clawed otters are currently listed as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Throughout Asia the main threat to its continued survival is destruction of its habitats due to changing land use pattern in the form of developmental activities. In many parts of Asia, the habitats have been reduced due to reclamation of peat swamp forests and mangroves, aquaculture activities along the intertidal wetlands and loss of hill streams. Another important threat to Asian Small-clawed Otter is reduction in prey biomass due to over-exploitation, which make its remaining habitats unsustainable. Pollution is probably the single most important factor, causing decline in the population of many fish species. The threat posed by poaching, for the fur trade and pet trade, is still very significant in many parts of South Eat Asia and will certainly count as a major threat that needs to be constantly monitored. Sadly, an increase in keeping these animals as pets has been seen throughout Thailand. We are hearing reports of otter ‘farms’ where many are being specifically bred for the pet trade.
After spending some time with little Jump it is very clear that she has been kept as a pet for a while due to her attachment to her human carers. She is very fond of fish, this is great as many of the otters we rescue are fed on cat biscuits or fish pellets, and usually take along time to adjust to a new diet. Jump appears to be in good health, we estimate that she is around 12 months old. Keep Wildlife Wild and Not as Pets!!!
You may remember little Jay who was rescued back in January? We are hopeful that Jump and Jay will become firm friends, being highly social animals this should not be problem. See Jay’s rescue story here www.wfft.org/aquatic-wildlife/day-little-jay-otter-pup/