‘New Zealand otter’ still a mystery

Press, 21 March 1983, Page 6

‘New Zealand otter’ still a mystery

A week-long expedition to a swamp in Otago has failed to solve the mystery of the “New Zealand otter.” Officially, there is no such thing, but there have been numerous recorded sightings of otter-like animals in Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. Five Christchurch wildlife enthusiasts, led by the director of the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Mr Michael Willis, spent last week searching for traces of the otter in swamp lands surrounding Lake Waihola and Lake Waipori. The group returned on Saturday evening without finding any concrete evidence of an otter. Neverthless, Mr Willis said last evening that there had been quite a few “in-

teresting happenings.” Some of the traps laid by the group were triggered by an unidentified animal. Members of the group also noticed disturbances in the water which could not be identified. The group brought back animal droppings and plaster casts of paw prints to examine although they were likely to be from animals that were already known to live there. Mr Willis said he believed it was still worth investigating whether there was a New Zealand otter.

“We are very openminded about it. We never said there definitely was or was not an otter; we were just exploring the possibility,” he said.

“We still believe it war-

rants further investigation. We have not even started to get into it in any depth at all.” The expedition, which cost Willowbank $7OO as well as personal expenses of individual members, had to end after a week because of a lack of resources, Mr Willis said. Part of the swamp area had not been explored. Although the trip did not E reduce any results, it had een a success because it had given members the chance to learn trapping and other techniques which would be useful on future trips.

Mr Willis said the group planned a trip to Fiordland next year, unless there were any definite otter sightings elsewhere.