Demand for pet otters is driving a harmful trade
The creatures are cute but make lousy pets
OTTERS ARE cute, this no one can deny. They have big eyes and snub snouts and paws like tiny leedle hands. They look even cuter when they wear jaunty hats and toss food pellets into their mouths as if they were bar snacks, like Takechiyo, a pet otter in Japan. Documenting Takechiyo’s antics has earned his owner nearly 230,000 followers on Instagram, a photo-sharing app.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Some like it otter”
From the January 15th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Asia
AUKUS enters its fifth year. How is the pact faring?
It has weathered two big political changes. What about Donald Trump’s return?
Joe Biden’s mixed legacy on Japan
Security co-operation flourished, but a scuppered steel deal leaves a sour taste
Indonesia nearly has a monopoly on nickel. What next?
Prabowo Subianto, the new president, wants to create an electric car supply chain
What a 472-year-old corpse reveals about India
St Francis Xavier is both venerated and despised
Pakistan’s army puts a former intelligence chief on trial
General Faiz Hameed is an ally of Imran Khan, who is currently behind bars
By resisting arrest, South Korea’s president challenges democracy
His attempt to impose martial law failed. But Yoon Suk Yeol is still causing trouble