Michelle Wang

wy_szdaily@126.com

A MEDIA open day was held yesterday to mark World Otter Day which falls on the last Wednesday of May (May 25 this year), with field visits to otter habitats to learn about otter activity and conservation status in Shenzhen Bay and raise public awareness on the protection of this adorable animal.

A few clear and fresh otter footprints were spotted in the southern area of Futian Mangrove Ecological Park, which indicates that there were otters that went there the previous day.

The ecological park first spotted otter activity Oct. 25, 2020, when a suspected otter was captured by an infrared camera. After expert research and analysis, image analysis and field trace collection, it was identified as a Eurasian otter.

Since then, Shenzhen Mangrove Wetlands Conservation Foundation (MCF) has been conducting a survey by setting up otter monitoring infrared cameras to steadily collect otter activity data. The monitoring results showed that otters appeared every 20 days on average from October to April starting from 2020, with each occurrence lasting from one to three days.

According to the MCF, the frequent presence of otters in the ecological park is most likely due to the significant improvement and “otter-friendliness” of the Shenzhen River. The river’s treatment has significantly improved its water quality, providing a cleaner environment for Eurasian otters, with its natural barges and unobstructed river channels facilitating the communication and spread of the animals.

In addition, Shenzhen has imposed a fishing ban in the river since 2014, providing an adequate food source for otters, while the mangroves and fishpond wetlands along Shenzhen Bay have been protected as important habitats for otters.

“The ecological park also built otter nesting boxes in its southern area to provide otters a space to stay and rest,” said Rong Canzhong, MCF scientific conservation program officer. “The nesting boxes are also used for exploring otter reintroduction.”

For 2022-2024, Rong added that the MCF will continue to reinforce its survey work by installing additional otter monitoring cameras, conducting otter surveys in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), identifying important otter habitats, further learning about otter populations and the threats they face in the GBA, as well as carrying out pilot otter reintroduction work and connecting key water environments where otters appear.

The MCF will also reinforce public education about Eurasian otters by introducing otter-themed nature education courses for students to enhance their awareness and protection of otters.

“In the park-based field, we will do some work that can visually let the public know about otters,” said Qiu Wenhui, MCF wetland education program officer. “However, otter protection and the effort to make them return to public sight is a long-term process, so it shouldn’t be just limited to World Otter Day. We will continue to do some nature education courses related to otters to get more public support.”