In News:

In a significant conservation development, the National Zoological Park (NZP), Delhi, has welcomed a pair of smooth-coated otters from the Shyamaprasad Mukherji Zoological Garden, Surat, marking the first such arrival in two decades. The last otter at the Delhi Zoo died in 2004. The transfer took place under a Central Zoo Authority (CZA)-approved exchange programme.

About Smooth-Coated Otters (Lutrogaleperspicillata)

• Taxonomy: The only extant member of the genus Lutrogale.
• Distribution: Found across India, southern and Southeast Asia, China, and Iraq (small population).
• Habitat: Freshwater wetlands, mangroves, peat swamps, forested rivers, lakes, rice paddies; capable of long overland movements.
• Features:
  • Largest otter species in Southeast Asia.
  • Smooth, short fur (brown dorsally, lighter ventrally) with water-repellent guard hairs.
  • Social animals, hunt in groups, often using V-formations while fishing upstream.
• Threats:
  • Habitat loss due to urbanization, agriculture, and pollution (fertilizers, pesticides).
  • Poaching for fur and pet trade.
• Conservation Status: IUCN – Vulnerable.