The Xth International Otter Colloquium, was held from 10-16 October 2007, in Hwacheon, South Korea under the General Theme: “Otters – Ambassadors of Peace”.
Hwacheon County lies in the north east of the country close to the border with North Korea, the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) being about half an hour from the city itself. Hwacheon city and county play a leading role in Korea’s efforts to achieve peace, reconciliation and harmony with their North Korean neighbours. Many of us brought empty bullet casings as a contribution to the bell that is now in place in the World Peace Bell Park next to the Peace Dam that we visited during our field trip to the DMZ. The Mayor of Hwacheon was the principal instigator of this project. We will all remember his enthusiastic support of our conference. We received such a warm welcome and experienced a conference that will remain a unique memory for each of us.
Otters were present everywhere, from the reception desk at Incheon Airport, to the city of Hwacheon, where flags fluttered from every light post, to the illuminated fountain where otters changed colours at night. The Xth International Otter Colloquium was more that just another meeting it was also a major cultural exchange. We will all remember the Korean Fusion band, the traditional dances and the opera.
The colloquium gave us the chance to meet old friends and make new ones, to learn more about otters, especially the problems facing otters in Southeast Asia. For many of us it was our first encounter with a very different culture. South Korea is a ‘hidden gem’ with delightful people, delicious food and really interesting country that we all had the chance to experience.
In this event, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Otter Specialist Group prepared the ‘Minimum Acceptable Husbandry and Welfare Requirements of Captive Asian Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinereus)’ document. Download it here.
