KUCHING: Rabid river otters are not unheard of, but they are rare, said Department of Veterinary Services Sarawak (DVSS) director Dr Adrian Susin Ambud.
He added that thus far, there have been no reports of rabid otters in Sarawak.
“River otters are far less likely to contract rabies than raccoons, skunks, dogs and cats,” Dr Adrian told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) general manager Oswald Braken Tisen (pic) believed that river otters pose minimum threat to public safety, reasoning that these animals are generally very shy.
“They move away when humans approach,” Braken said.
When asked about sites commonly frequented by otters in Kuching, he remarked that exact locations could not be pinpointed.
“It is high time for university students to conduct population surveys and home range
(studies) at the Sarawak River,” he remarked.
However, he confirmed that there have been sightings of otters along Kuching Waterfront.
Braken also revealed that otters are not in SFC’s list of high priority species as their focus is on the iconic and rare species which require their full attention.
The Forest Department Sarawak website disclosed that otters are a protected species in the state. Otters are carnivorous semi-aquatic mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae.
Their diet mainly comprises fish, other small vertebrates and crustaceans.
The same source cites several species of otters that can be found in Borneo such as the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana), smooth otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) and oriental small-clawed otter (Amblonyx cinerea).
