According to the veterinarian's findings, the otter that was filmed the day before yesterday in the urban area of Žabljak, and the day before yesterday was left next to the container, has no gunshot, stab wounds or any other physical injuries, the National Parks of Montenegro (NPCG) announced today.
A photo of an animal that was claimed to have been killed was circulated on social media.
The NPCG announced that the new management of that company took actions within their competences in connection with the dead otter, a protected animal species, in Žabljak.
"In order to adequately resolve the case, at the initiative of the Public Enterprise for National Parks, and with the support of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism and the Center for Ecotoxicological Testing, toxicological analyzes will be performed to determine possible poisoning," the NPCG press release points out.
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Belma Šestović, expert associate for fauna protection at the Public Enterprise for National Parks of Montenegro (JPNPCG), said that since this species is a semi-aquatic mammal, it is not surprising that it was also seen on land.
"She is known to cross relatively large areas in search of food, moving from one waterhole to another and the like. The first video from Žabljak is something that is rarely seen, and it should have remained on that enthusiasm. After that video, social networks it overflowed with a few more shots where it can be seen that this wild animal is very scared and running away from people, to finally end with a photo of a dead individual. This species is very cautious, it mostly moves at night and does not interact with people. Unfortunately, only we have shown that we do not have environmental awareness and that we do not know how to behave adequately and responsibly. The otter was followed by the local population, constantly filmed and ran away scared. This is certainly not the first time that this and similar cases have happened in Montenegro," she pointed out. is Šestović.
The NPCG added that as far as research of this species is concerned, the NPCG is monitoring the state of populations in their territory.
"At the level of Montenegro, research has been carried out since 2018 and work is being done on the detailed distribution of the otter. We remind you that a Facebook post uploaded by electronic portals showed a video of an individual otter these days in the vicinity of the Black Lake, which was also assumed to be was killed in the settlement itself. In this way, the NPCG points out as a positive example the response of Mr. Vlad Bojović as socially responsible because, in addition to pointing out the case of the killed protected animal species, he showed that through such and similar negative phenomena related to conservation of nature and its rarities, must not pass silently," the announcement reads.
NPCG said that "National Park (NP) Durmitor is recognized for its natural values that contribute to the overall wealth and diversity of the animal world of Montenegro, whose beauty attracts an increasing number of visitors every year".
"In this regard, the preservation and protection of the most important values of NP Durmitor, a UNESCO site, is of crucial importance in the nature protection system, as is the role of the entire social community, including each individual, equally important," the announcement reads.
The NPCG stated that the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a nationally protected species (Official Gazette of Montenegro No. 76/06) and is on numerous lists of international conventions and directives - the Bern Convention (Appendix 2), the European Directive on Habitats (Annex 2 and Annex 4), CITES (Appendix 1).
"According to the IUCN RED LIST in the Mediterranean part of Europe, it is marked as near threatened (NT- Near threatened), it is a symbol of the Berne Convention and one of the Natura 2000 species," concludes the NPCG announcement.
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