Patterns of otter Lutra lutra road mortality in a landscape abundant in lakes

Jancke, Saskia; Giere, Peter

doi:10.1007/s10344-010-0442-5

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…This aggressive behaviour is particularly observed during the breeding season when competition for mates can lead to confrontations or when resources are limited [4,8]. In some instances, injuries can result from more aggressive interactions, especially when individuals are defending territories or asserting dominance within their social groups [33,48]. Also, these injuries sustained during conflicts may increase vulnerability to other threats such as predation, disease, or environmental hazards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological and Conservation Aspects of Otter Mortality: A Review

Garcês,

Pires

2024

Conservation

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The post mortem exam is important in diagnosing and investigating wildlife diseases. It is even more important to monitor the population of species that are not easily observed in the wild, such as otters. Of the 13 otter species, 11 are endangered due to many factors, such as climate change, pollution, or urbanisation. The authors present a review of the patterns of mortality of free-ranging otters worldwide, aiming to improve the knowledge of otter mortality and the role of mortality studies in their conservation. The main cause of death in aquatic otters is vehicle collision; hence, sea otter deaths are associated with shark attacks and imprisonment in fishing gear. It is possible to conclude that humans and human activity play a significant role in the mortality of these animals. In the future, a more standardised analysis of otter carcasses is necessary to understand their threats and diseases and design significant measures to protect these species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological and Conservation Aspects of Otter Mortality: A Review

Garcês,

Pires

2024

Conservation

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“…This percentage is consistent with evidence from larger datasets obtained in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin [ 41 , 67 , 68 ]. Vehicle collision represents the most recorded cause of otter mortality across Europe [ 69 ], but their impact on otter populations is difficult to estimate (but see [ 70 ]). Some authors [ 17 , 25 ] reported a positive correlation between the rise of recorded road kills and the increase in population size, or geographic expansion, thus suggesting that traffic could have a minor impact on the survival of healthy populations [ 71 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health and Mortality Monitoring in Threatened Mammals: A First Post Mortem Study of Otters (Lutra lutra L.) in Italy

Fusillo¹,

Romanucci

Marcelli³

et al. 2022

Animals

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Dead specimens provide valuable data for the conservation of threatened species, allowing investigations of mortality, health conditions, and demographic parameters. The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a semiaquatic carnivore listed as endangered in Italy. In 2009, we started the first post mortem (PM) study of otters in Italy, through collaborative research between mammal ecologists and veterinary pathologists, using standardized protocols. Twenty-eight otters, mostly collected between 2009 and 2017, were examined. Most otters were males (67%), between 1 and 3 years old (64%), and predominantly in good nutritional condition. Adult males were significantly larger than adult females (p < 0.02), as expected for the species, although both sexes appeared to be smaller than otters examined in Central–northern Europe. The youngest sexually mature female was 3 years old. Road traffic collisions were the major cause of death, especially in young individuals, and mainly occurred in autumn–winter, particularly for females. Investigations of the scene of death contributed to revealing factors forcing otters to travel out of the water and move over the road, suggesting appropriate measures to reduce vehicle collision risk. Other causes of death included blunt chest trauma of uncertain origin, dog and conspecific attacks, or diseases of infectious or non-infectious origin, such as ulcerative gastritis, pleuropneumonia and peritonitis. Other diagnosed diseases included lymphoma. Ecto- and endoparasites were rarely detected, although we report the first documentation of heartworm and Ixodes hexagonus infestation in Italian otters. It is important to continue comprehensive, standardized PM investigations of otters in Italy to define baseline health, biometric and demographic parameters, collect biological samples for comparative analyses, and to reduce road-kill mortality. The present study suggests that the timely collection of carcasses and collaborative and coordinated research efforts are essential for obtaining useful data for the conservation of otters.

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“…Los atropellos se vinculan con los puntos de cruce entre carreteras de alta densidad y cursos de agua (más de dos tercios se produce en una banda de 100 metros de anchura en torno al cauce), con una mayor tasa de atropellos en machos . También en las proximidades de lagos o incluso en zonas sin cursos de agua en las inmediaciones, lo que podría ser el resultado de desplazamientos más largos entre parches favorables en zonas con abundancia de lagos (Jancke & Giere 2011). Los atropellos se concentran durante los meses de invierno y primavera, pudiendo tener un importante impacto sobre las poblaciones (Guter et al 2005).…”

Section: I4 Mortalidad Por Atropellounclassified

Contribuciones al análisis de mortalidad de vertebrados en carreteras

Rabanal¹,

Javier²

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Road-kill is one of the most prominent causes of wildlife mortality. Much research effort has focussed on collisions with ungulates because of traffic safety. However, studies about large carnivore road-kills are scarce despite vehicles being a main cause of mortality. The absence of studies can be explained in part because of difficulties in obtaining sufficient sample sizes. We collected data from locations of 82 wolf road-kill sites in the Castilla y León region, northwest Spain. We evaluated different models to characterise collision localities using logistic regressions with corrections for rare events. The best models included traffic and human disturbance parameters. Landscape variables did not improve predictive power. Fencing was a decisive key predictor; road-kill was proportionally higher along fenced highways than on similar major roads that lacked fences. Wolf-vehicle collisions were more common in agricultural areas, although wolf densities were lower in these zones. Both the higher density of important roads and a greater proportion of roaming wolves on the plateau may explain this pattern.

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Patterns of otter Lutra lutra road mortality in a landscape abundant in lakes

Cited by 14 publications

References 8 publications

Biological and Conservation Aspects of Otter Mortality: A Review

Biological and Conservation Aspects of Otter Mortality: A Review

Health and Mortality Monitoring in Threatened Mammals: A First Post Mortem Study of Otters (Lutra lutra L.) in Italy

Contribuciones al análisis de mortalidad de vertebrados en carreteras

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