A Cape clawless otter. File picture: Supplied/FreeMe
You might think this sounds like otter nonsense and that I otter know better but, alas, it is true.
A growing family of Cape clawless otters have made the five-star, V&A Waterfront One&Only Hotel their impromptu home away from home.
And much like the A-listers and heads of state who preceded them, the otters will have a 24-hour security detail keeping an eye on them for the duration of their stay, which might not be a short one.
Following a successful seal-monitoring programme, Cape Town’s Two Ocean Aquarium, partnered with the Waterfront authority, launched an initiative which will see the otters have two kayak-bound wildlife monitors keeping an eye on them, mostly to make sure they don’t get too friendly with tourists and visitors.
The wildlife monitors will also take on the role of researchers, collecting data from the semi-urban otter family for the scientific study of a usually very shy species.
@wildlyafrica At least 5 Cape Clawless Otters visited this residence in St Francis Bay. WHAT A LUCK!! Kill them with kindness. #otter #beach #pool #water #fyp #viralotters #southafrica ♬ Tokyo Drift(Original Mix) - 南辞+安筱冷
Brett Glasby, the Waterfront wildlife management programme co-ordinator, told local media that there has been a single male otter in the area for the past four years.
“We picked it up on the CCTV cameras. Then, in January this year, we saw it had arrived with two females, and now there is a youngster,” he said.
Although human-otter interactions have been rare around the hotel swimming pools which the otters use as a freshwater source, they occasionally cause a stir when bolting through the restaurant floor with sightings gaining frequency as the family grows.
With its private pools and decks, fountains and fish ponds, the otters have grown accustomed to the luxuries of Waterfront life. The Two Oceans Aquarium noted that the otters have “two semi-permanent homes or ‘holts’, with a possible third being constructed on an island at the One&Only resort.”
“The otters arrived during lockdown while the resort was very quiet,” said One&Only communications head Michelle Monk.
“They tend to congregate around the island, including the pool and canal waterways, even hunting the fish in our water features. They can sometimes be seen lazily swimming around the canal and running about the outdoor Vista and Nobu seating areas.”
The otters aren’t as cute and cuddly as one might think. As the second largest freshwater otter species, males can reach lengths of over a metre and a half and weigh as much as 18kg.
They’re only slightly smaller than the South American giant otter which can reach lengths of up to 1.8m.
Their proximity to humans making recreational use of the waterways has provided all the more reason for the monitoring programme, with the main aim being peaceful coexistence.
Claire Taylor, assistant curator at the Two Oceans Aquarium and head of the animal-human conflict mitigation, said that “an otter working group has been established to monitor other otters at locations such as Granger Bay, Simon’s Town, St James and Green Point Park.”
The Two Oceans Aquarium is set to introduce floating platforms in the waterfront canals. The platforms will boast freshwater ponds and foliage to encourage the otters to rather use the platforms instead of risking conflict with hotel guests and boaters.
Resorts and other establishments have placed signage within the precinct warning guests and tourists of the potential dangers of being too friendly with wild otters.
The Cape Argus reported in February this year that a 9-year-old child was bitten at the V&A Waterfront when an otter climbed on to her paddleboard and nipped at her feet. The child sustained minor bite wounds and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
V&A Waterfront spokesperson Donald Kau told the Cape Argus that there has been an increasing number of Cape clawless otter sightings around the Western Cape in recent months.
This near-threatened species lives in waterways and aquatic habitats, including areas that are frequented by humans.
“Otters are an important indicator species for water body health. They normally seek out quiet areas to feed and rest in. Otters have taken up residence along the Waterfront canals. We aren’t certain of their number yet,” Kau said.
“Experts have suggested that the generation of wildlife we are seeing has figured out how to live in the urban environment,” said Taylor.
“This is not necessarily an increase in the otter population, it’s just that we’re seeing them more now, which is an amazing progression and privilege.”