Valuing Wildness in Animals: Otters

As an inherently contested concept, wildness provides a particularly useful basis for considering the biological, topological, spatial, cultural, moral, and economic relationships between human and non-human animals. Each workshop in the series focuses on a different species, each raising a range of issues relevant to the general topic.

Paul Chanin (Mammal Ecologist) and Miriam Darlington (Department of English) gave presentations at this fourth workshop.

Paul’s talk, ‘Too Many Otters?’, addressed issues of conservation. A number of attractive, charismatic British mammals are protected by law, usually because they are thought to be threatened in some way. Most also cause problems in one way or another, some simply because they are protected. After several decades of increasing the protection is it time to ease off? Are ‘conservationists’ unreasonable and ill-informed? Are some species, or diseases, out of control? Should we kill otters to protect fish, and badgers to protect the health of our cattle? Are dormice too expensive to afford? Paul focussed on these three species, explaining why they are legally protected and outlining some of the issues which arise. The questions are difficult but interesting, and there are no easy answers. Ultimately one has to question how much people really do value wildness in our wildlife.

Miriam’s talk, ’The cycle of the human-animal dynamic: from enemy to icon and back?’, addressed cultural representations of the otter. Her talk asked how over time we have come into conflict with this apex predator, and how we have represented and viewed otters through the lens of our own culture. How has the wild otter been demonised and sanctified? What effect does this have on it? Looking at the range of attitudes to this mammal through art, sport, literature, TV media and film, and now as an 'icon' of nature conservation, the talk asked how we have balanced the wild otter's needs with our own, and how far we truly value its 'wildness'.

The talks were followed by lunch and discussion.

Download presentations from the workshop:

 (WARNING: File with Miarim Darlington's slides is nearly 85 MB. The snared otter picture was not shown at the Workshop because it is very gory):

Paul Chanin's slides

Miriam Darlington's slides

Miriam Darlington's talk on Otters 

Movie version of Miriam's talk via Dropbox

Snared otter picture

 The 'Valuing Wildness in Animals' project  is funded through the Bridging the Gaps development fund. Details of the earlier seminars on 27/10/11: Elephants, 29/11/11: Migratory Birds and 10/01/12: Rats are available, including copies of presentations.

For more information about this project, please contact the project lead, Karen Edwards