P R E S S R E L E A S E
FURGET-ME-NOT – A NEW CAMPAIGN TO SAVE OTTERS
The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) today launched its new anti-fur
campaign “Furget-me-not”.
Dr Paul Yoxon of IOSF said “The campaign is called ‘Furget-me-not’ as the otter is the forgotten animal of the fur trade. Everyone always thinks about tigers and leopards or elephant ivory, but the trade in otter furs is huge. Recently there was a massive haul of 778 otter skins in Tibet and we are regularly getting reports of more and more skins found. Two days ago we had an email from Cambodia which said that a research team at the Tonle Sap Lake had just found 10 skins of smooth-coated otters and 6 skins of hairy-nosed otters at four
different village houses. And this
is just the tip of the iceberg as this is just one small area and just one
find.”
It is even more worrying that many of the skins being traded are from the
hairy-nosed otter, which was believed to be extinct in 1998 but small
populations have been found in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
At this rate of hunting the hairy nosed otter will very soon be really
extinct and this time there will be no great discovery of remnant populations.
The main market for the furs is Tibet, where otter fur forms part of the
national dress, the chupa – one chupa may have skins from as many as six otters!
These costumes are worn at many of the festivals and official state
functions and the wearing of highly decorated fur costumes is seen as a means of
demonstrating the wealth and status of Tibetan culture.
In many countries wildlife crime is not seen as a matter of high priority and
therefore there is only minimal effort in terms of money and enforcement.
However the UN has recognised that it is a serious issue of
trans-national organised crime, second only after guns, which even has a
negative impact on the economy and social structure of the countries involved.
The new Furget-me-not campaign will raise funds to start immediate work in
Cambodia using a team of researchers already working there.
They will train local rangers and government staff to ensure the legal
protection of otters is enforced and encourage the local communities to take
part in the otter conservation programme.
Dr Yoxon said “IOSF is launching this campaign to combat the otter fur trade as
a matter of urgency because without doubt this illegal trade is threatening the
otters’ future existence. Most
otters are captured by fishermen who are very poor and simply seek to earn
additional money. By engaging these fishermen into the research and conservation
of the otters instead of shunning them as hunters and problematic villagers, we
can give these people an otter-friendly alternative to their destructive
activities and provide real protection for the otters.”
Anyone interested in helping with this campaign should go to
www.furgetmenot.org.uk
or
www.otter.org
ENDS
CONSERVATION STATUS OF OTTERS:
The Conservation Status as identified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
of the species mentioned above is as follows:
Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) – NEAR
THREATENED
Smooth-coated otter (Lutra perspicillata)
– VULNERABLE
Asian short-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)
- NEAR THREATENED
Hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) –
DATA DEFICIENT
Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) -
ENDANGERED
The enclosed photographs show the 778 otter skins from Tibet and a haul of 7
skins, 6 of which are hairy nosed.
A printable copy can be supplied and it should be credited to Conservation
International.
A copy of a report submitted by IOSF to CITES can be found at
www.otter.org/fur.html
For further information please contact Dr Paul Yoxon, 01471 822 487,
info@otter.org
25 February 2008
International Otter Survival Fund, 7 Black Park, Broadford, Isle of Skye, IV49
9DETel/FAX: ++471 822 487
Email:
info@otter.org
Website:
www.otter.org
Photo of 778 otter skins in Lhasa
Photos of otter skins from Cambodia – six of them are from the rare Hairy Nosed
Otter