Cruel trade in otters bred for online stardom
A SOCIAL media craze in Japan and Indonesia that promotes keeping otters in cafés or as exotic domestic pets has created a cruel trafficking trade, driving the creatures to the brink of extinction, campaigners have warned.
An undercover investigation by World Animal Protection has found wild otter pups are being poached from their habitats, confined in terrible conditions and irresponsibly bred in Japan, Thailand and Indonesia to meet growing public demand.
Domestication of otters, which live in large family groups in waterways, has been fuelled by social media users with large followings who post funny videos and pictures of the creatures to Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
Takechiyo, an otter featured on Instagram, has nearly 300,000 followers entertained by its antics with a Japanese family who live in an apartment block in the Minato district of Tokyo. The trend has led to otter cafés in Japan, where people can stroke and play with them. In Indonesia, otter communities have appeared where owners go on trips with their pets.
It is not illegal to own one of the wild animals in Japan or Indonesia. However, Cassandra Koenen, head of the animal rights group’s “Wildlife. Not Pets” campaign, said: “That love translates into behaviour that is incredibly harmful to the animal.” The investigation found large Facebook groups and online pet stores facilitated trade in the animal. Otters were whimpering, shrieking and making distress calls while café customers interacted with them. Some were kept alone with no natural light or in cages with no water.
The trade has been blamed for a fall in otter populations, which are at alarmingly low levels. Three out of four species in south-east Asia were considered at risk of extinction in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.