Volume 10 Pages 1 - 56 (October 1994)

Citation: Reuther, C. (1994) Aktion Fischotterschutz E.V. (German Campaign For Otter Protection): Activities 1993/94. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 10: 8 - 9

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Aktion Fischotterschutz E.V. (German Campaign For Otter Protection): Activities 1993/94

Claus Reuther

Aktion Fischotterschutz e.V., OTTER-ZENTRUM, D-29386 Hankensbüttel,Germany

RESEARCH IN CAPTIVITY

At the research station in Hankensbuttel, the following main studies were completed, continued or started:

• an ethological study on the marking behaviour of Lutra lutra in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences (ROZHNOV and ROGOSCHIK, 1994)
• an ethological study on the prey catching behaviour of Lutra lutra
• a longterm study on the ontogeny of otter cubs born in captivity
• a longterm study on the immobilisation of otters by drugs

RESEARCH IN THE WILD

• The telemetry study which was started in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (a federal state in the north of East-Germany) in 1992 was continued. So far two otters were caught and radiotracked.
• A study of Olaf Korbel for the Federal Ministry of Traffic on the mortality of otters caused by traffic accidents and the possibilities to reduce this threat was finished hi spring 1994. The results will be published soon.

SURVEYS

A two years survey of Udo Binner using the standard method in the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is still coming to the end. So far more than 800 sites were visited of which more than 60 % were found positive.

RIVER ISE PROJECT

The revitalisation of the river Ise network (more than 450 km long) makes good progress. Nearly 500 ha of property on both sides of the main river were bought and changed from industrial to alternative agriculture. More than 20 km of hedges and riparian forest were planted. A team of 6 full employed scientists and several students or external experts has done a lot of scientific studies within this project (REUTHER et al., 1993). In December 1993 the first tracks of an otter were found in the snow at the river Ise after more than 20 years.

OTTER CENTRE

In 1993 more than 110,000 people visited the Hankensbiittel Otter Centre. On December 2nd, 1993 the main building burned down because of a fire attack. The rebuilding will start in November 1994.

REFERENCES

Reuther, C., Borggrafe, K., Kolsch, O., Poseck, M., Posselt, T. & Stockmann, A. (1993). Revitalisierung in der Ise-Niederung Teil C: Grundlagenerhebung, Landschaftsbewertung und Szenarienentwicklung fur die Nebengewasser. Habitat, 9: 245 pp
Rozhnov, V.V. & Rogoschik, B. (1994). The ability of the river otter (Lutra lutra L.) to distinguish fresh scent marks and longevity of conserved scent mark information. Lutreola, 3: 5-9

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