San Diego Zoo – Saving the Giant Otter

San Diego Zoo - Saving the giant otter

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or this project we helped the world famous San Diego Zoo through support of customs logistics for the team entering the Manu reserve. The giant otter is an endangered apex carnivore inhabiting the Madre de Dios region in Peru’s Amazon basin. Despite a recent recovery in some areas following banning of the fur trade, the species now faces several emerging threats that remain poorly understood. These include illegal gold mining using mercury as well as conflict with fishermen. To sustain the recovery of giant otter populations, a proactive understanding of the ecological factors supporting them, and anthropogenic impacts threatening them, is required.