On the scent of otters in Hong Kong – secretive, nocturnal carnivores that are holding out in fish ponds
- Hong Kong’s otter population has declined over the past decades because of hunting and loss of habitat; they cling on in fish ponds near the Chinese border
- Conservationists trying to gauge their numbers have to rely on examining droppings for DNA; a farmer who 50 years ago saw otters often hasn’t seen one in years
An ancient Chinese classic describes how southern China’s Pearl River Delta was inhabited by “every kind and variety of strange beasts, so many, it is impossible to remember”.
Today, however, 50 million people live in the almost continuous concrete sprawl of cities including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan and Macau with a combined economy larger than that of South Korea. Humans have seen off most of the “strange beasts”, including tigers and alligators, but one predator is still hanging on – the Eurasian otter.
The mammal’s stronghold in the Pearl River Delta region are former wetlands that have been converted to fish farms along Hong Kong’s border with mainland China.
Growing up to a metre in length, otters are related to badgers and ferrets. They spend much of their time in the water, where they feed on fish, molluscs, crabs and frogs.
Once common from Spain to China, the hunt for otter pelts made the species extinct in many locations. In Guangdong province alone, more than 10,000 otters were hunted every year in the 1950s, records show.
In the middle of the 20th century, pesticides and loss of habitat reduced numbers even further, but now the Eurasian otter is making a comeback across Europe. In Hong Kong, however, the mammal’s situation is precarious, and there is an urgent need to learn more about them – which is difficult because they are nocturnal, solitary and territorial.
