abstract |
In the past, the Eurasian otter inhabited water bodies in the forest and forest-steppe zones and the Carpathians in Ukraine. In the steppe zone, between 1980 and 1985, it survived in the Dnipro River, in the lower reaches of the Southern Bug, Dnister and Danube rivers, and also in the Siverskyi Donets River. In 1987–1988, the otter appeared in the south of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, and in 1992–2003 in other locations as well. Its spread was facilitated by a reduction in the negative impact of hunting, due to the decline in the popularity of furs made from wild animals (otter, beaver, marten, coypu, muskrat, and mink), which led to an increase in population numbers. The expansion of its range was facilitated by the construction of the North Crimean Canal (1957–1994) and the Kakhovka irrigation system (1967–1991), which allowed the otter to colonise their complex networks and remote water bodies. The regulation of the Dnister River’s flow and the drying up of its delta led to the formation of a south-western population. Between 1990 and 1995, the otter spread into the steppe regions of the Donbas via the tributaries of the Siverskyi Donets. By the end of the 20th century, the southern boundary of the otter’s range had reached the coasts of the Azov and Black seas. Between 2010 and 2015, it entered the Crimean Peninsula via the North Crimean Canal, where it had been absent for several thousand years. Censuses of game animal populations in Ukraine have been conducted since 1962. Despite their imperfections, they have shown that otter populations are increasing in all eco-geographical regions. In 2000, 8735 individuals were recorded, whereas 11 685 in 2005, 12 232 in 2010, 13 614 in 2015, and 13 972 in 2019. Moreover, this is occurring against a backdrop of deteriorating hydrochemical conditions of water bodies and a decline in the diversity of the fish fauna. The causes of otter mortality (n = 213) include the killing of animals by owners of fish ponds (75.59%), being run over by vehicles (5.16%), the impact of floods and ice-related phenomena (5.63%), predation by white-tailed eagles (0.91%) and, at the end of the 20th century, hunting by hunters (12.71%). The spread and population growth of the Eurasian otter in Ukraine have been largely driven by a reduction in hunting pressure and a shorter duration of ice cover, caused by climate warming. |
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