Otter hunting and trapping, a traditional practice of marsh Arabs of Iraq

Two species of otter inhabit the marshes of southern Iraq: the European otter (Lutra lutra) and the smooth-coated otter (endemic subspecies: Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli). Marsh Arabs have targeted otters since at least the 1950s. Nowadays, local marsh inhabitants are still heavily hunting otters for their fur or trapping their cubs to be raised as pets. These practices, together with habitat destruction (i.e., marshland drainage), represent primary threats to the otters’ survival in Iraq, and have caused a dramatic decline in otter populations. We report on traditional hunting and trapping methods in Iraq on European and smooth-coated otter, and on the consequences on the conservation of these endangered species.