Funding for Save the Giants

Thank you for supporting our mission! 

Creature Conserve is currently seeking funding for our 2018 giant otter surveys!  2017 was a huge success in terms of data collection and the addition of new otter surveyors, Kenneth Butler and Oswin Ambrose.  Creature Conserve is currently working on a collaborative conservation initiative: "Save the Giants," which aims to expand our current otter survey to cover more giant otter habitat.  

Wild giant otters on the Rupununi River, Guyana, SA

The funds generated through this campaign will cover the costs for ongoing monthly otter surveys, each costing $800. This includes the stipend for both surveyors for each month, ($300 USD/Surveyor) as well as eight days of gas and oil for the boat  ($150 USD) and field supplies ($50 USD).

Oswin setting a camera trap

Kenneth Butler of Surama Village and Green Diamond Nature Tours and Oswin Ambrose of Yupakari Village are conducting the surveys. Both are members of the local Amerindian community and are well known as skilled wildlife guides with an increasing amount of field research experience; they will have the opportunity to spread the experiences of their work with others and speak on the subject at local schools.

Kenneth Butler with an anole lizard

Also available to help the survey team is Gerry Pereira of Karanambu Trust and Lodge; Gerry has been monitoring the flora, fauna, and archeological history of the area for the past several years.  

Oswin and Gerry setting a camera trap

In the future, Creature Conserve would like to generate a greater interest in the surveys from members of local villages and expand the survey to different locations throughout the interior. 

Details on the Survey:
The surveyors are following a protocol developed by lead researchers, Dr. Lucy  Spelman and Christina Ward in collaboration with Oswin, Kenneth, and Gerry. The giant otter survey protocol is based on the standard methodologies used to conduct a Distribution Survey and Population Census as recommended by the IUCN otter specialist group. In January 2017, Dr. Lucy and Christina launched the 2017 survey and brought with them the necessary research equipment purchased by Creature Conserve, including a camera with zoom lens, binoculars, and five camera traps with locks.

Christina Ward looking for otter sign.

To conduct the project,  surveyors Kenneth and Oswin will be using this equipment. They will also have access to a boat, boat engine, GPS, Internet, and proper field accommodations. They will have access to a computer and cell phone provided (in-kind) by Green Diamond Nature Tours (Kenneth Butler.) Fuel costs are covered by Creature Conserve. 

SCIENTIFIC GOALS of the SURVEY:
-Determine the optimal month to conduct both a Distribution Survey and a Population Census of giant otters, to better optimize our data collection time frame. 
- Gain a better understanding of how water levels, weather, and the presence of other people – tourists, fishers – are expected to have an impact on the otters behavior and distribution. 
- Document human-otter interactions during different months of the year.
- Refine and improve the methodology for future surveys, including those planned for the Wet Season
- Gather data for longer term studies—ecological, behavioral, and demographic studies—of giant otters at multiple locations within the interior of Guyana. 
- Collect fecal samples from latrine sites for proper genetic analysis.  This would allow us to determine giant otter genetic distribution and identify fragmented populations.

CAPACITY BUILDING GOALS of the SURVEY:
-To conduct research in partnership with local communities by giving their members a role in the project and building field research capacity as well as generating interest for a future conservation ranger program. 
-To teach local communities the proper protocol for human/giant otter encounters and assist in sustainable "otter watch" eco-tours. 

CONSERVATION GOALS of the SURVEY:
-To generate the data needed to make informed conservation management decisions about wild giant otters throughout Guyana:
--Current distribution and population of otters, to be used as a baseline
--Positive, neutral, and negative impacts of human activity on giant otters
--Recommendations for protecting this endangered species and its habitat along the Guyanan river systems. 

Christina and Oswin mapping otter signs

Within three years, if not sooner. We hope to publish the results in a scientific journal focused on zoology, ecology, and conservation, such as Zoo Biology, as well as in popular media such as the news, blog, magazine article, or podcast. We will also use our experiences as well as results to generate visual art designed to engage others in the need to protect the giant otter. 

Giant otters are an endangered species, found only in parts of their original natural habitats in South America. The live within close-knit family groups and work together to raise their young, catch food and take care of their nesting areas. The number of giant otters remaining in the wild remain an estimate.  Otter surveys play a key role evaluating the health and abundance of giant otter populations in the wild. By training local Guyanese to conduct the otter surveys and providing them with a dependable source of income, we increase awareness and value for these endangered species.  

MISSION of CREATURE CONSERVE:
At Creature Conserve, our mission is to bring artists and scientists together to foster informed and sustained support for animal conservation. The Otter Survey team represents a mixture of formally and informally trained scientists and artists, a strategy that we believe will be more effective -- and more fun -- than more traditional research methods. We plan to share our discoveries through a variety of media, including visual art and scientific publications.

For more examples of artists and scientists working together to save species, please see website https://www.creatureconserve.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/creatureconserve

For more ways to support our work, visit our Etsy shop https://www.creatureconserveshop.com/

We cannot thank you enough for your support!

Giant otter pair in Guyana, South America