After half a century of extinction, the giant otter returns to Iberá with Lobo and Alondra

CÓRDOBA.- Wolf and Lark, two giant otters arrived from

Sweden

and Hungary, will be responsible for reintroducing this species to

Ibera

. The health quarantine is completed under the control of

National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (Senasa)

in the correntino park of San Cayetano, they will be released in the wet zone. The species was extinct half a century ago and the purpose of these specimens is to replenish the national park.

Wolf and Skylark arrived a week ago and were inspected by Senasa at Ezeiza International Airport. The documentation was checked to verify compliance with the sanitary requirements imposed by Argentina, then the general condition of the samples to ensure that they did not present any diseases and finally the transport conditions were controlled.

With their approved transit permit, giant otters were taken to San Cayetano Provincial Park in

The currents

Where is the property in which import quarantines are populated. They will be there for 15 isolated days controlled by the Senasa of this province. If they succeed all the clinical inspections, they will be released in the
Ibera.

"After the first quarantine inspection, the two animals are in good health, they will be released next week, and if they do not show any signs of illness, they will be released," said Omar Senosiain, director of the Corrientes office. from Senasa.

The "superior aquatic predator" – as technically called the giant otter – is no longer seen in the wetlands of Iberá since the mid-1970s and

Missions

extinction began in the 1980s. The reintroduction of the species into the ecosystem is possible through a conservation project promoted by the Foundation, the Conservation Land Trust Trust (CLT), and to the collaboration of the Parken Zoo of Eskilstuna, Sweden, which donated to Lobo, and Budapest Zoo, Hungary, He did the same with Alondra.

"The giant otter would be like the water equivalent of the country's yaguarete, its function is essential for Iberá to become eco-friendly and offer all its services in a healthy environment." Ibera in a reserved area where we will evaluate its ability to adapt, "said Alicia Delgado, a CLT biologist.

The giant otter can measure up to two meters and weigh up to 35 kilos. It is characterized by living in families of ten to twenty people. It is a large predator that feeds almost exclusively on fish. It is one of the most endangered species of otters in Latin America and persecuted for its skin.