Telangana: Rare and endangered giant river otters sighted in Mancherial

Rare and endangered giant river otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) were sighted in the waters of the Godavari River near Kalamadugu village in Jannaram mandal

Mancherial: Rare and endangered giant river otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) were sighted in the waters of the Godavari River near Kalamadugu village in Jannaram mandal on Tuesday, surprising many. Their images went viral on social media platforms on Wednesday.

Some tribals, who were taking part in gathering of water from Godavari at Hasthanamadugu near Kalamadugu village as part of Nagoba Jatara, were surprised to spot the semiaquatic mammal in the riverbed. They shot photographs of the otters and then shared the photographs with Forest officials.

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Jannaram Forest Divisional Officer S Madhav Rao told ‘Telangana Today’ that the otters were sighted in this region for the first time. He said forest staff had not seen the mammal in this region so far. He added that he had no clue as to why and from where they had come and the discovery of the rare mammals indicated rich biodiversity of this region.

The mammal was the largest member of the mustelid family which includes otters, weasels and ferrets. Otters measure in at 1.5-1.8 m and weigh in at 22-32 kg. They are social animals, forming groups of up to 10 individuals, made up of reproducing pairs and their offspring. They can have up to 6 pups per gestation period. They feed on fish. They can live up to 10 years in their natural habitat.

The otters used to inhabit a crocodile sanctuary at Shivvaram village in Jaipur mandal, about 100 kilometres from Kalamadugu, but were not spotted in recent history. They are classified as ‘Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List (2008) and have been included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) since 1973.