The Best Companion
THE FURRY FRIENDS OF THE FISHING INDUSTRY If you wander down a riverbank in southwest Bangladesh, you might happen upon a squealing, squeaking crate of river otters. The otters aren’t in danger. In fact, they’re the pampered helpers of the region's fishermen and women, who’ve trained them to herd fish. Yes, that’s right — just as we use herding dogs to corral sheep and cows into pens, people who fish in Bangladesh use otters to drive fish, crabs, and prawns into their nets. The practice dates back hundreds of years — and it’s impressive to watch. First, in the dead of night, the Bangladeshi anglers load crates of otters onto their boats and head out to fish. Each otter wears a small rope harness and leash attached to a wooden pole. As soon as the boat reaches the fishing area, the fishermen release the otters. They dive into the water and paddle furiously after schools of fish, encouraging them to swim into their owners’ nets. According to the publication Roads & Kingdoms, Bangladeshi fishers can catch more than 20 pounds of fish per excursion thanks to their otter helpers. Locals breed otters specifically for this purpose, raising them just like Westerners raise dogs and cats. This otter-human partnership is an important part of Bangladeshi culture. The fish the otters bring in sustain their owners through lean times and help them survive periods of famine. However, according to the BBC, the tradition is slowly fading away. Rivers in the region are drying up, pollution is surging, native fish are disappearing, and families are getting out of the otter business. One third-generation fisherman told Roads & Kingdoms that as of 2015, only 12 families in Gopra Village, where he lives, continue to fish with otters. That’s a tiny fraction of the 100 families that fished when his father ran their family business. However, How Bangladeshis Use Otters to Harness Their Catch
A Meeting With Destiny Destiny Leon traces her love of animals back to her grandmother. “She had everything from horses to emus to goats,” she remembers. “Being around animals was always a part of my childhood.” She also took an early interest in medicine, working at a hospital before realizing her true passion was in veterinary care. After working as a technician assistant at a veterinary office in Telluride, Destiny decided to join Surface Creek Vet and started work in late November 2022. As a kennel technician, her current duties involve keeping the clinic clean and organized and ensuring our boarded patients are well taken care of. She looks forward to completing Surface Creek’s in-house training program and hopes to eventually work her way up to full-time veterinary technician. “I love helping the animals,” Destiny says, “It’s like being a small detective because the animals can’t tell you what’s wrong.” She enjoys helping to solve the mystery and get pets back to living their best lives. Destiny also has a lot of fun learning about canine breeds and behaviors. Destiny’s love of animals extends far beyond work. She has three dogs, two lizards, and a cat at home. Her oldest dog is a pit bull named Fearless, whom Destiny calls “a gentle giant.” Mac is a mixed-breed rescue who almost met an unhappy end before Destiny took him in. Her other mixed- breed, Chica, “is like a water otter,” Destiny says. “She loves to swim in the river. We also take her snowboarding, and she loves to pull our sleds.” She also enjoys spending time with her sphynx cat, Bert, and her two bearded dragons, Theo and Carmela. “I like all animals,” Destiny explains. When she’s not hanging out with her pets, Destiny notes that she and her boyfriend “are pretty outdoorsy people. In the summer, we’re either camping or dirt bike riding, and winter is snowboarding season!” We caught up with Destiny only a few weeks after she started at the clinic, but so far, she particularly enjoys that “Everyone here works as a team.” We think she has a bright future ahead, and we’re excited to see more of what she can do! MEET OUR NEW KENNEL TECHNICIAN!
he told the reporter he “will continue to work with otters as long as there are fish to catch.”
To learn more about this fascinating human-animal
partnership and see a video of the otters in action, head to YouTube and search “Bangladesh otter fishing.”
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