Otters terrorise locals in Kerala's Kozhikode

Kozhikode: Otters along the banks of the Chaliyar and Iruvanji rivers have turned into a threat to residents of Kozhikode district in Kerala. More than 200 people have been attacked by the aquatic mammals in the Mukkam area over the past 4 years.

Researchers say the population of otters in the rivers have gone up after the authorities put a strict ban on sand mining in the rivers. "In Kerala, we have the smooth-coated otter which is the most common species found in Kerala. In higher altitudes, Small-clawed otters can be seen and another species is the Eurasian otter which is reported from inner regions of South India. That may be the reason for interaction between humans and otters and ultimately resulting in frequent human-otter conflicts," said Jaisooryan KK, Scientist, Training and Outreach Research Group CWRDM, Kozhikode.

Most of the residents were bitten on their legs and were advised to take anti-rabies injection after sustaining minor injuries. "People are now even afraid to even step into the river. My organisation has been trying to solve this issue for 10 years and has been successful to some extent. However, the problem of otters biting people has been increasing for the last 4 years," said a local resident. 

"When I went to the river to take a bath and for a swim, while I was returning back it bit me on my leg. When I jumped, it bit my other leg too. When I looked at it, I knew that it was an otter," another local resident said.  "I went to take a bath at the river after playing on the ground. After my bath and as I was swinging my legs in the river, an otter bit me. When my friend was defending me, he was also bitten," said a young resident. 

On Tuesday, the victims of otter attacks arranged a meeting to share their concerns and propose measures to curtail the problem. The victims also demanded that a headcount of the animals be conducted in order to control the growing number of otters in the river. (PTI)