Red Book Otter Captured on Camera Trap for the First Time in Almaty Region
Photo: pixabay
A camera trap has recorded a Red Book otter for the first time in the Almaty region, Orda.kz reports.
The animal was captured by a camera trap installed by the Kazakhstan Association for Biodiversity Conservation on the territory of one of the region’s fish farms.
The association and Tabigat Media said this is the first video confirmation of the species in the region and one of the few recent videos of the Central Asian otter in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Previously, the animal had been recorded by a camera trap only in Charyn National Park in the Zhetysu region.
The Central Asian river otter is a rare and little-studied subspecies of the Eurasian otter listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book. It leads a secretive lifestyle and is most active at dusk and at night, making it extremely difficult to spot in the wild.
Experts say the appearance of otters at fish farms is linked to the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems and declining fish stocks in rivers. Because of this, the animals are increasingly coming to pond farms in search of prey.
As a result, these animals may be seen as a source of damage and killed. Another problem is confusion with the American mink, which is a hunting species. It is important to remember that the Central Asian river otter is a Red Book species: killing it carries criminal liability and a heavy fine.the association said.
According to ecologists, in Kazakhstan the Central Asian river otter has survived in the Ili River basin and probably in the Koksu River basin. The species remains one of the least studied mammals in the country.
Original author: Saule Abdykamit
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