Vadodara: In the past six months, no poaching of otter was reported from the Hansot taluka of Bharuch as the Gujarat Ecology Society (GES) conducted a six-month long awareness campaign for locals and forest department for their conservation.GES held several meetings with locals to make them understand that otters do not harm the prawns and fish but create balance in fresh water ecosystem. “Prawn farmers and fishermen were of the belief that otters eat up their harvest due to which they run into losses. But we had to educate them that otters only feed on fishes that are diseased and easily available,” said Akshit Suthar, who is also part of the IUCN Otter Specialist group. He added that the locals too stopped hunting after such meetings. Graffiti encouraging conservation of otters were also made on walls of the village.On the other hand, a local information network was also set up to foil any poaching bid. The local youth were trained and encouraged for holding anti-snare walks along the hotspot areas. The forest department was also made aware about the poaching activities. Interestingly, local forest department was not aware about the presence of otters and only learnt about the species after GES’s rediscovery.While the GES has been taking limited steps for conservation of otters, it believes that the government should take steps not only for their protection but also their growth. “Otters keep the food cycle going as it is at the top-most position in the freshwater food chain. Since the otters are venturing newer areas it is necessary that the state government integrate water bodies so that the otters can easily move,” said Deepa Gavali, director of GES.

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