Nemo and His Relatives Now and in the Past - Review Part III

Otters in Europe: From Hunting Trophies to 

Beloved Representatives of Local Fauna

The British model

Respectfully submitted and written by Béatrice Dumiche

The exhibition was built using Gettmann’s personal collection and expanded with items from artists, art collectors, and science museums, and the primary concept was the traditions that have shaped the relationship between men and otters within Europe. There was a focus on the mental shift towards acceptance necessary in the now mostly urban and industrial society to guarantee a durable success of renaturation measures and the laws supporting them. The foundation of the exhibit was the historical perspective of the superstitions in the Middle Ages, relayed for a long time by the sciences, continuously projecting human psychology onto the animals’ behavior. Through occasionally shocking or grotesque examples, it showed that the educational work and the experimental know-how which led to the come back of the otter come back were mostly due to great personalities who cared for the animal and stood up against general opinion to plead its cause.

One showcase featured the private organizations that began the revival of the Eurasian otter in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France in the late 1970s. It highlighted the leadership of the British initiatives, particularly the determining role of Philip Wayre and his tame Asian Short Clawed Otter, Mouse. Wayre was the founder of the Otter Trust, which aimed to reintroduce the otter to Great Britain. He was able to dissolve the organization during his lifetime as he considered his goal definitively achieved. The UK Wild Otter Trust and above all the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF), which finance otter protection projects worldwide, play important roles at different levels. The former documents otters’ presence locally and intervenes into issues originated by or attributed to them. The latter provides a wide range of information in a blog discussing new scientific and statistical facts on various topics, for example, rescue and reintroduction into the wild. The IOSF appears in this way to be essential for the transmission of a precious know-how to those who are in direct contact with otters and who are offering technical support to specialists worldwide while also offering educative tours and services.

With these examples, Gettmann stressed that the current levels of fundraising and education will not be sufficient for the conservation of otters without the addition of corporate engagement to the efforts. His collection made it clear that the attributes of contemporary fan culture are necessary to bring awareness, though most of the organizations try to preserve a certain standard and sell quality artifacts. The charitable organizations are conscious that their efforts would not have the same impact if they could not count on the open support of a community standing for their cause. All of the items sold by the UK Wild Otter Trust or the IOSF with their logo can be seen as statements both raising awareness and creating bonds between all who love otters. The range of items seems infinite and the exhibition presented some surprises, for example, chocolate otters, though cuddly stuffed toys appeared the principal way to win the children’s affections.

The most significant and effective practice for raising awareness was initiated by the Otter Trust, which created special souvenirs, for example, Chinese thimbles featuring otters. These keepsakes serve as a reminder that craftsmanship and memorabilia should, and does, go beyond hunting trophies. The IOSF keeps this tradition and has expanded it through cooperation with artisans like Sarah Kelly, who creates hand-stitched felted otters and otter broaches; painter Vivien Walters; and the sculptor, Laurence Broderick. The exhibit did not feature work from all of these artists as Gettmann focused more on the popularization effort from the original IOSF fundraising strategies. This included one of their adoption packs, which combined quality information with collectible figurines. Books published by the IOSF, for example, the recent Paul and Grace Yoxon’s Otters of the World, were also available. Through this, he underlined the important role the IOSF has in the dissemination of published information about otters. Further, Daniel Allen’s Otter was there as a reminder of this specific plurality the IOSF strives to guarantee while selecting books to keep their followers informed about the latest evolutions in knowledge about the species. They seemed to have immediately recognized the success of this approach when examining the relationship between the British public and otters from a socio-historical point of view, a real change in the present mentalities was revealed. It signified that otters were no longer considered enemies that must be eradicated. On the contrary, they were included in a larger study of how animals have been treated in Great Britain and what this analysis would reveal about the nation’s self-understanding. The result was that the public definitively appeared bonded with the otter as an eminent predator that now has a symbolic value.  

Gettmann did not hide his support for the British model that encourages one to consciously turn existing feelings, developed through literature, into an argument for the otters’ conservation. He showed that despite the adversity they had to face as predators, the stunning resistance they opposed to their human challengers had made them great literary characters representing the mythical power of nature and deserving individual respect. For this reason, he dedicated a special place within the exhibit to the famous British novels, Tarka the Otter and The Ring of Bright Water, which have become bestsellers and have been featured in popular movies, creating much love for their animal stars. Exhibiting many pieces of evidence of their success, he emphasized how these works, which reveal the otters’ intelligence and cuteness when they are left alone in their environment or when they interact with humans and tie deep affective bonds with them, have been a decisive factor in the changing of their image. There is no doubt that these masterpieces helped Great Britain advance in the protection and the reintroduction of otters, as the tragic destiny of their title heroes was an appeal to stop cruelty towards their real wild fellows. The exhibition did not downplay the cruelty that existed in the hunting of otters, it displayed an original trap and different etchings and drawings illustrating the brutality of otter hounds, a species bred especially for the purpose of hunting. This further highlighted the effect that the literary epics had, ensuring that no one who read them or watched the movies could be indifferent towards otters, creating a real will to find a way to cohabit with them as they appeared a part of the national heritage and moreover important to local nature’s prosperity.

The exhibition showed that romanticizing wildlife does not necessarily work against factual information, as it creates interest and leads to the questioning of human behavior in relation to the animals while also suggesting that individual courage and unconventional thinking are indispensable in fighting the prejudices too often present due to the lack of experience and knowledge. One could even say that, with the examples from Britain, in particular, Gavin Maxwell, Gettmann argued in favor of new adventures; those that challenge people less for sporting performance than for the awareness the exploration of nature brings as it challenges the presumed almightiness of mankind. While highlighting the Scottish adventurer’s role in the transformation of the otters’ image, he gave the impression that there is a dimension in the defense of predators that the traditional fundraising by charities cannot reach; the thrill of feeling at one with wildlife and discovering it through close observation and experience.

Through the above-listed mechanisms, the visitor was brought to realize that a focal difference between hunting and tracking wild otters to study their antics is the pleasure of getting in touch with them and enriching life with a new form of coexistence brought by mutual respect between wildlife and human which leads to learning from each other. He clearly stood for the discovery of the enchantment of nature, not only through the spectacular adventures that remain the privilege of exceptional explorers. He advocated for the awakening of early interest in nature from the very beginnings of childhood as it favors the curiosity and the attention that are the seeds of human intelligence as it is originally related to our survival instinct by adaptation.  That is why the secret fascination of his exhibition was that it was organized according to this knowledge transmitted by life sciences:  it appealed to each visitor to follow his own attractions to build a personal itinerary from the items or themes he found interesting and felt drawn to learn more about. It was a solicitation to further one’s own exploration of the otters’ way of life and how it has influenced people’s perception throughout history, generating the joy in discovering a rich world where intellectual information coexists with imagination. So, it was an otter exhibition relying on that which men and otters have in common: the lifelong playfulness that enables them to transform and adapt just for the pleasure of satisfying their never-ending curiosity.

The German Otter-Zentrum  

It is not surprising that, in the large section dedicated to Germany, Gettmann illustrated the ways in which the British model has influenced the conservation initiatives in his own country and convinced him that advocacy in favor of otters requires more than factual education. It requires real and fictitious ‘heroes’ to originate identification, acceptance, and maybe even love for an animal which had virtually disappeared or at least was almost invisible. That is why he focused on the necessity of creating the institutional conditions to support the otter’s come back, while at the same time suggesting that this will not be enough. He indicated that his personal collection of artwork and crafts, collected over many years, reflected his attempt to accompany this effort from the beginning as he had been searching for the tracks of a tradition which, as in Britain, could help remind people that the otter has always been active in their culture.

Thus, part of his presentation was focussed on the fundamental role of the Otter-Zentrum in Hankensbüttel which was initiated by Claus Reuther in 1979 as the major achievement of the non-profit association “Aktion Fischotterschutz e. V.” and which opened in 1988. Different documents cast light on the specificity of this institution which allies education and research and tries to solve practical cohabitation problems between otters and men in order to discourage illegal hunting under the pretext of the damage they still cause. Since its foundation the educative work of the Centre has been based on a biological approach, taking into account the whole mustelid family in order to change their image as a whole.

The aim of the Centre was to highlight that studying the animals’ behavior scientifically would provide reasonable working solutions against complaints of nuisance. The hope was to convince people not to resort to traditional removal methods which not only were often cruel, but which were likely to be far less efficient as they were motivated by the spirit of revenge and anger, not by practical thinking. The idea was that the demonization of their behavior encouraged people’s will to eradicate them and cut off the possibility for dialogue encouraging the realization that these predators have their own place in the eco-system, unbalanced by human activity. Proposing simple solutions based on scientific research and information to avoid conflict, the Centre appeared to play an important activist role in the protection of animals not yet endangered but that have been considered nuisances and therefore were on the path to endangerment. Thanks to this they acquired notoriety beyond their regional borders.

The Centre’s most important educational project has been a large park dedicated to otters, its creation mostly due to their protection at the European level thanks to the Bern Convention. They are exhibited with most of their parented species, for example, martens, polecats, and even stoats. This is an attempt to transform their image by displaying a deeper and more lasting perspective, showing them as an example of the failure of a wildlife policy that took into account only human interests and used nuisance as a valid argument against a species. Otter hounds are even shown at the exhibit, to spread the awareness that a dog breed was reared specifically to hunt otters, so particularly fierce had they been considered. This casts light upon the characteristics of a species leading to the development of unilateral activities due to what, at these times and in this cultural context, was the most suitable. At the same time, the visitor is invited to realize how priorities have changed and how conservation became essential as sciences uncovered that the otters’ preservation was more useful, even to human agriculture and fishery than their elimination.

Guided tours with feedings explain the antics of each mustelid in its natural environment and the possible issues they face in a modern society, which restrains their habitat. In this way, the Centre tries to raise awareness for the necessity of creating adapted living conditions both in the wild and under human care to preserve spaces where otters and similarly endangered species can return to a normal life and thrive again. For that reason, in a non-public area behind the scenes, some otters are kept for breeding and the Otter-Zentrum lends animals to other facilities to help to spread knowledge while setting new standards to ameliorate its conservation ex-situ. For the same purpose, they publish a journal, the Otterpost, providing information to their donors and others with interest in their comprehensive conservation activities consisting of zoological and applied research.

Gettmann’s exhibit allowed one to get the whole picture of the subjects the Centre tackles: it was not only the brochures edited to give advice to people bothered by otter raids. A small part of the fence, designed and patented by the zoologist of the Otter-Zentrum, Dr. Hans-Heinrich Krüger, and his team, was also presented along with its technical description. The juxtaposition of text documents and a variety of tangible items helped promote the understanding that it is up to men to organize coexistence with wildlife and that it must be considered not according to man’s exclusive profit, but as part of a wider eco-system into which all activities and species have a place. It underlined the deep change in mentalities scientific research has generated in our relation to nature as the knowledge we acquired about predators made us interpret their behavior differently, without anthropomorphic judgments. It became clear that the predation the otter is accused of can no longer be condemned as irrational lust for destruction innate to wild beasts making them appear dangerous, if not evil, to their detractors. Their behavior can be explained by science, which uncovers that they are part of biological evolution that can be influenced to a certain extent, as our own, by our way of life. Thus, the Otter-Zentrum demonstrated that the progress in natural sciences and their larger social recognition were determining for improved wildlife conservation from which otters gained practical benefit thanks to the restoration of their habitat, and also benefitted from an improved image as men were obliged to re-think former negative convictions presented as irrefutable truth for centuries.

The German example, with its stronger focus on research and tightly structured education, put this aspect into the foreground according to the intellectual traditions of the country oriented towards applied sciences. This appears to be its specific contribution to the reviving interest in otters in Western Europe from the 1980’s. It leaves no doubt that superstitions must be fought by direct contact and concrete learning and that it would be vain to try to create effective bonds between men and otters without a solid foundation of knowledge and research from the experimental sciences. It demonstrates that the success of the western economic and social model is reminiscent of the Enlightenment and the personal responsibility linked with scientific progress that was esteemed during the period. The postulation that conservation efforts cannot be separated from self-reflection applies more than ever to our relationship with nature as it cannot be misused to justify the unilateral exploitation of its resources. The demands of the 20th century have gone against these fundamental maxims erected to limit science to serve a civilisation based on human intelligence and welfare, and it can be considered an honour to German post-World War II institutions that they have been able to return to the sciences and find their own way while playing a fundamental role in awakening an awareness of the challenges facing ecology. Moreover, the example of the Otter-Zentrum shed a light on the way in which the German postwar society has been able to overcome conflicts when common interests are at stake. The initiative was started by hunting guards and is still managed by them. Their concept is simply based on the practical idea that wildlife conservation cannot be a success if it does not include all interested participants in a constructive dialogue allying education and the search for solutions respecting the ancient human activities of a fishery and the hunting of game in the same way that the wildlife must be respected.  So, while they were conscious of the necessary evolution of their own role, they created the public acceptance for it, using their competencies to advocate for ecological assets, as they are necessary for the common survival of men and the nature they feed on.

Otter News would like to thank Clare Laughran for her editing of the review.