Protected Areas. Trade in giant otter fur was prohibited under CITES in 1973. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. In the United States Otters are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Giant Otter This South American otter is the world's largest, at some 6 feet long. Following the banning of fur trade, giant otter numbers have recovered across South America. The remaining remote and pristine rivers, lakes, and wetlands of South America house a large variety of threatened and endangered species. Current estimates place the population between 1,000 and 5,000, placing it among the endangered otter species. This is due to the fact that the conditions they live under could be compromised easily and that could lead to a significant reduction in their numbers in very little time.
They include the Southern River Otter, Hairy Nosed Otter, Giant Otter, and the India Smooth Coated Otter. However, there are several emerging threats to this sensitive species. Conservationists believe this step had a tremendous effect on the giant otter survival, and their numbers may be increasing. Giant otters, endangered top predators which live in Amazon river ecosystems, were nearly wiped out because of demand for their fur. It lives only in the rivers and creeks of the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata river systems. Preferring slow-moving tropical rivers, the giant river otter is affected by habitat loss, illegal hunting and gold mining that has caused mercury poisoning. The giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is the largest member of the mustelid family, which includes otters, weasels, and ferrets, and are by far the loudest member of the group.Giant river otters are very sociable and live in families of between 3-10 individuals that hunt together. Native to South America, giant river otters are mostly found in the Amazon basin.
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