Customers stroke sleeping otters at a cafe in Tokyo, March 2019. The growing popularity of the cafes is causing concern among conservationists. Photograph: Noriko Hayashi/New York Times/Redux/eyevine
The otter, with its adorable face and funny behaviors, has become a real pet star in Japan. Increasingly, it can be found not only in the homes of private individuals, but also in pet cafes, establishments where customers can pet and photograph it.
However, behind this already absurd fashion in which these animals are deprived of their freedom and forced to live in captivity lies a serious threat to the species, linked to illegal wildlife trafficking. Indeed, recent genetic research, conducted by Kyoto University in collaboration with Thai scholars, analyzed the origin of 81 otters housed in zoos, cafes or confiscated at customs.
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA revealed that many of them came from regions of Thailand already known for poaching and illegal trade. The otter Aonyx cinereus, also known as the dwarf otter, is a protected species classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, and its international trade for commercial purposes has been banned since 2019.
In Japan, owning an otter is legal, but only if the animal comes from regular sources. The problem is that, given the high demand, many specimens are illegally taken from the wild and illegally imported. The study also found that otters in cafes come from different areas than those in zoos, suggesting more opaque and less controlled supply channels.
In addition to the legal issue, there is also an obvious ethical problem. Captive otters often show obvious signs of stress, and their welfare is compromised by inadequate space and constant handling. Moreover, the risk of extinction increases when demand for exotic animals fuels poaching in their countries of origin.
Japan's connection to otters also has cultural roots: the Japanese otter, once widespread in the archipelago and present in local folklore as the “kawauso,” was declared extinct in 2012. This loss has generated a kind of collective nostalgia, which now spills over to imported species with no real protection. It is therefore crucial to raise awareness of the issue because as long as the demand remains high, these creatures cannot really be protected.
