Written & Submitted by Béatrice Dumiche
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The reality of conservation issues facing Giant otters is the major obstacle for a successful reintroduction of them to their native habitat. It emphasizes how much our vision of the future is still unbalanced and unsure because at a global level a decision has yet to be made. Do we continue business as usual since the industrial revolution and continue using that evolving technology as a model for emergent countries or do we change the standards of modern living to meet an ethical imperative founded on what the latest biological knowledge of evolution reveals to us about ourselves? The criticism that zoos are just a kind of useless reserve is rather pointed in this political contradiction due to the inner tension that characterizes our occidental thought aiming at a Kantian ideal [Editor's note: according to Wikipedia, Kantian ethics revolve entirely around duty rather than emotions or end goals] which is out of reach in an always insufficient practice. Instead of provoking a moral impulse to act for the best, it provides too often alibis for a status quo which favors the confusion between causes and consequences and designates the wrong people to blame. Whilst the Studbook helps the reasonable management of an increasing giant otter zoo population due to the sharing of complex knowledge which raises the standards of every participating institution. Through each institution's efforts, the biological diversity has been increased yet controlled and the current and future giant otter generations will be dependent on the multiplication of zoos that will be able to provide them a decent place to live because nothing has changed in the wild. The strict demands of the IUCN stipulate that all the causes for the endangerment of a species have to be eradicated before a reintroduction can be taken into consideration and may no doubt make the most common sense and interest given current conditions. We may need to consider other and additional ideals in future conservation policy in order to push forward.
The limitations of zoological programs are revealed because they alone can’t change the world; they become to a certain extent the victims of their own success and they will have to live with this contradiction. It is their merit however that the display of exotic animals lost its unquestioned innocence and paved the way for a new perspective and an unexpected, maybe revolutionary idea, of international cooperation and development in the countries where giant otters originate. Working for wildlife conservation appears to consist of saving local populations and their living by stimulating their defenses while at the same time endangered and weakened species of their regions are made fit for survival. To make this concept function efficiently implies both changing the mentalities of those in the receiving countries as well as revising our own standards and understanding of what we call civilization through large educational efforts. Zoos contribute to this education through cooperating with schools as an independent actor of public interest. 
This means zoological facilities are inevitably confronted with strong oppositions from at least two sides. On one hand, misunderstood ecological concerns that will not resign to accept real conditions which take time and understanding to transform because the ideals can not be changed without the approval and the cooperation of locals in foreign countries who have been abused so often in their aspirations for a better living. On the other side is the anthropocentric ignorance which does not consider the tasks of the modern contemporary zoo as an attempt to initiate a unique and novel relationship between humans and animals, which truly, at the current time, can only be successfully conducted in terms of compromise. Hence zoos are quite vulnerable to attacks from global industrial interests because these interests wish to avoid the change of a status quo.
Additionally, we must keep in mind a different fact: while the animals under zoological care overall become older and older, the age that the individuals of the same species living in the wild is decreasing constantly. Therefore, until the success of zoo policy in breeding endangered species is supported by a global awareness of the human consequences that arise when animals lose their traditional habitat, the animal's preservation under the best available conditions in zoological facilities is the only viable alternative.
Implemented educational programs also have an impact to the future of giant otters. Zoos cannot be blamed for a global iniquity for which they do not have either the financial or the political means to radically transform. In fact, they need to be accepted as ecological actors with a high educational value. They attract the attention of children regarding unknown exotic animals for which they would like to know more. This interest can ignite a passion for the animal’s living conditions as well as the foreign countries where the animals originate; and it can create a curiosity about the local fauna and the general belonging of animals. Thus, thanks to their zoological experiences, the future generations of children may be prepared to be mediators between the creatures they experienced and grew to love and a highly technological civilization which seems to draw limitlessly from natural resources.
Béatrice Dumiche wishes to particularly thank Dr. Reiter for proof reading and checking the information about Zoo Duisburg. Visit Zoo Duisburg's website:
Otter News sends sincere appreciation to Béatrice and all involved in the production of this article. We hope everyone has enjoyed learning of the Giant otters at Zoo Duisburg and will consider visiting them in the future.
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