Animal Welfare Issues Pertaining to the Trapping of Otters for Research, Conservation, and Fur

Abstract

The majority of the world’s 13 species of otters have not been live-trapped for research or conservation purposes, and are not legally trapped for fur. Thus, the development of humane standards to trap otters has received relatively little research attention or discussion. Although non-invasive techniques are becoming more prominent in field studies, live-trapping typically is necessary to obtain animals for certain research and conservation projects (e.g., radio-telemetry studies and reintroduction projects). A prerequisite for initiating the live-trapping of animals should involve informed decision making to enhance the likelihood of selecting traps (and trapping systems) for use that likely will contribute to efficient and humane captures. The North American (NA) river otter (Lontra canadensis) has been the subject of trapping for various purposes and can serve as a surrogate for discussing animal welfare issues pertaining to live-trapping other species of otters for both research and conservation, and in evaluating humane and ethical issues pertaining to trapping otters for the fur industry. In this chapter we review the types of traps and trapping systems that have been used to live and kill-trap the NA river otter, with examples from other species of otters when applicable. Although various traps and trapping systems have proven acceptable for live-trapping NA river otters, meaningful comparisons for traps and trapping systems are limited and in need of additional investigation. Approaches used to live-trap the NA river otter nonetheless can serve as a basis for informing the possible appropriateness of various live-trapping techniques for other species of otters, but not in lieu of conducting formal, independent assessments for those species. The USA and Canada both kill a substantial number of river otters each year for the fur trade. Although the killing of river otters appears to be sustainable in both countries at regional levels, the humaneness of traps and trapping are unlikely to consistently cause a humane death.