Protecting the Giant otter in Guyana

A few months ago, Palmyre Conservation started to fund the conservation of giant otters in the Pripris of Yiyi in Guyana.ne.

This 20,000-hectare wetland made up of marshes, mangroves and flooded forests, owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral since 1996, is jointly managed by the town of Sinnamary and the SEPANGUY association. It is home to an exceptional diversity of plant and animal species: manatees, bush dogs, squirrel monkeys, dwarf caimans, green turtles, snail kites, ospreys, rare orchids, etc. Giant otters are regularly seen there, but no detailed study of the population living in the area had previously been conducted.

To address that lack of data and collect more information on this species classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the SEPANGUY wished to acquire twenty camera traps in order to identify the families of giant otters living in the Pripris, determine the composition of the groups and their territories but also to better understand their habits. The camera traps, often used by conservation programs to monitor wildlife, make it possible to collect precise data while minimizing the disturbance of animals.

Palmyre Conservation has financed the purchase of the 20 camera traps and signed a collaboration agreement with the SEPANGUY association. The study will also help to raise public awareness on the protection of giant otters and enrich the territorial database on the species whose density in Guyana is particularly high, it could even be the highest in the world!