‘River pits,’ caused by unregulated release of water from dams, pose threat to vulnerable otters along Moyar River in Nilgiris

The deaths of a group of Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus), inside a “river pit” formed by high water flows from the Pykara Dam, has highlighted an often overlooked risk faced by river otters along the Moyar River due to the unregulated release and withholding of water from the district’s major dams.

The Asian small-clawed otter, classified as ‘vulnerable’ in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List, is among two otter species found in the Moyar Valley, the other being the Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata).

The deaths of the three Asian small-clawed otters in a river pit, around eight kilometers from the Pykara Dam were observed by researchers, K. Narasimmarajan, H.S.Palei and M.T. Mathai and published in the IUCN Otter Specialist Group bulletin, titled “Do natural river pits pose a danger to otters? A field report from the Moyar Valley, Western Ghats, India.”