Otters’ growing popularity burns illegal wildlife trafficking in Japan

The fuzzy and adorable otter has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years. Social media stardom looks just natural as these aquatic mammals are friendly, playful and make cute cooing sounds.

Sadly, there is a dark side to this enthusiasm for otters. They are targets of smuggling. In Japan, their popularity has raised their demand as pets and as a feature species in exotic animal cafes, making Japan one of the most prominent destinations for prison otters of ambiguous origins.

Asian small claw cuffers (the most common species in Japanese zoos and cafes) live in South and Southeast Asia. They are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List and international trade for commercial purposes is prohibited. However, they continued to be captured and smuggled into Japan, and Thailand is the main source of this illegal trade.

To address this, a team of researchers from Kyoto University worked with Thai scientists to try and understand exactly where these otters came from. This paper is published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice.

“The collaborative research will help identify the origins of otters stored in Japan and hotspots of illegal trade in Thailand, and thus help to promote legal control in both countries,” says first author Fujiwara Mayako.

To determine the geographical origins of Japanese prison otters, the team compared mitochondrial DNA to that of otters living in the wild in Thailand. The Japanese otters used in this study included exotic animal cafes prisoner cafes, cafes legally housed in Zoos and aquariums, which were seized at airport customs upon arrival in Japan.

The researchers found that the geographical origins of the captive kappa in exotic animal cafes differ from those stored in zoos and aquariums in Japan. Their origins also mean that cafes and pet demands put small clawed otters in danger from Asia, where extinction is at stake.

Ironically, otters are not novel at all in Japan. Otters, or Kawato, play a major role in Japanese folklore as shapeshifters known for their mischievous and playful nature. This mythical otter is based on Japanese otters and is based on Japanese otters. This was common in Japan, but was declared extinct in 2012 after being unseen for more than 30 years before hunting for the destruction of fur and habitat.

“As Japan’s endemic species have just become extinct, we aim to continue research that will help protect other vulnerable species,” says Fujiwara.

The collaboration reveals valuable information that can prevent otters from being captured and exploited by authorities in both Japan and Thailand. Beyond that, the geographical information provided by this study can be used to promote genetic management in conservation breeding programs in zoos and aquariums in Japan.