Popularity of pet otters on YouTube: evidence of an emerging trade threat

Abstract

In response to growing reports of otters in the pet trade, and suggestions that the popularity of pet otters on social media may be driving demand, we collated YouTube videos of pet otters to test for trends in the number of videos published, their exposure (number of views) and popularity. We used English-language search terms to provide a global overview, as well as local language search terms for four South East Asian countries identified as being of potential importance in the pet otter trade (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam), and Japan. We found that not only had the number of videos depicting pet otters increased in the last two to three years (2016–2018), but that their popularity and/or engagement had also increased. Notwithstanding some country-level differences in the details of effects observed, the greatest increases in both the number of videos produced and their popularity occurred in Indonesia and Japan. At a global-level, commercial “viral” video sites appeared to be influential in terms of posting highly popular pet otter videos. At a national level, potentially influential videos tended to be produced by four or five individual otter owners. The appearance of phrases such as “I want one” in the comments section of the English-language videos, although not necessarily a statement of actual intent, suggests that these videos may be driving demand amongst their viewers and followers; similar analyses of video comments in each local language are warranted. Our results show an increase in social media activity that may not only be driving the apparent increase in popularity, but also amplifying awareness of the availability of these animals as pets, as well as creating and perpetuating the (erroneous) perception of otters as a suitable companion animal. At a global level, there are welfare concerns associated with otters in the pet trade, and, in South East Asia specifically, there are serious conservation concerns. We recommend increased regulation of these activities on social media, increased public awareness of the negative impacts of the pet trade on otters, and increased international protection. Specifically, we suggest the need to uplist both small-clawed and smooth-coated otters (Aonyxcinereus and Lutrogaleperspicillata, respectively) to CITES Appendix 1.

Australia’s wish list of exotic pets: biosecurity and conservation implications of desired alien and illegal pet species

“…The underlying process behind this observation deserves more investigation. We hypothesise that both U.S. legal trade and Australian demand for alien pets are driven by the same underlying processes, facilitated by the emergent role of social media in providing access to and awareness of available pets (Clarke et al 2019;Harrington et al 2019;Kitson and Nekaris 2017). Under this hypothesis, DAWE enquiries would represent a random sample of desire for species in the U.S. trade weighted by their popularity.…”

Exotic animal cafes are increasingly home to threatened biodiversity

“…The traits identified account for the cafes' impacts on the demand for exotic pets; influence on the exotic pet trade; contribution to education, awareness, and nature connectedness; and subsequent impacts on wild populations, illustrated in Box A. 1 Courchamp et al (2006), 2 Nekaris et al (2013), 3 Bush et al 2016, 4 Harrington et al (2019) also influenced people's perception of their status in the wild (i.e., a stable/healthy wild population) (Ross, Vreeman, & Lonsdorf, 2011). Viewing animals in close proximity to humans conveys an inaccurate perception, that like domestic pets, the animals are easy to handle and rear (Ross et al, 2011).…”

“…In addition to providing a platform for advertising, sourcing and trading animals (Hinsley, Lee, Harrison, & Roberts, 2016;Sung & Fong, 2018), these platforms increase access to information which can stimulate pet ownership through the spread of viral pet images and videos (Nekaris et al, 2013) and connect like-minded consumers. Harrington et al (2019) found an increase in the number of pet otter videos on social media between 2016 and 2018 and suggested that the increase in activity had the potential to not only influence the popularity of pet otter ownership, but also increase the awareness and perception of this species as a potential pet.…”

“…The popularity of a species can also drive consumer demand and can be influenced by the species’ rarity (the “anthropogenic Allee effect”; Courchamp et al., 2006) as well as fashionable trends including celebrity attention (Harrington, Macdonald, & D'Cruze, 2019). The public's interest in particular pet species can also be influenced by digital media (Jones, Thomas‐Walters, Rust, & Veríssimo, 2019), as evidenced by increased registrations, imports, or popularity of Dalmatians, green iguana, and red‐eared sliders seen in 101 Dalmatians (Herzog, Bentley, & Hahn, 2004), Jurassic Park (Nijman & Nekaris, 2017), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Ramsay, Ng, O'Riordan, & Chou, 2007).…”

“…Harrington et al. (2019) found an increase in the number of pet otter videos on social media between 2016 and 2018 and suggested that the increase in activity had the potential to not only influence the popularity of pet otter ownership, but also increase the awareness and perception of this species as a potential pet.…”