Eurasian Otters’ Urban Pond Use Patterns in Southern Spain: A Case Study

As human activities such as urbanization encroach on natural areas, some wildlife species adapt to these changes and learn ways to utilize newly available resources. We monitored the use patterns of the Eurasian otter in three urban ponds in southern Spain (Málaga province). We compared weekly otter visits and relative spraint abundance between the urban ponds and two control ponds located in natural areas, testing for differences in use patterns between them using Generalized Linear Mixed Models and the Wald–Wolfowitz run test. We also estimated prey survival rates through Kaplan–Meier estimator curves. We also assessed problems of coexistence with human interests. Relative spraint abundance was not affected by pond type (urban or natural). However, the number of otter visits was lower for urban ponds, and the pattern was not random but concentrated over a short time until prey depletion, suggesting consistent use of the urban feeding patches. Available food resources in urban settings can become a viable option for otters, which appear to explore urban habitats when it suits them. However, in the monitored urban ponds, otters competed with human interests and generated a conservation problem that almost led to lethal measures.