Otter by Daniel Allen

Author:Daniel Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Emil Liers with his trained North American otters and dog.

The North American river otter was fictionalized in a similar fashion by Emil E. Liers in An Otter’s Story (1953). This sentimental children’s book follows the lives of Ottiga (the Indian name for ‘the leader of the herd’) and his family on the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. Throughout the book their lives are threatened by fisherman, poachers and trappers. By describing their natural ways in the wild, Liers shows how the animal had been ‘maligned and misunderstood’.25 Although stylistically the writing does not compare to that of Williamson, in North America the book raised awareness of otters in a similar way to Tarka. This was largely due to the author’s unique understanding of the animal. In the 1920s he was a trapper who killed for profit. One day when he was collecting a dead female otter from a trap, his life took a dramatic turn. The death had left two young cubs without a mother. The sight of this helpless pair had such an emotional impact that Liers decided to take them home and care for them. He never set another trap.

After this experience Liers continued to adopt and train otters. His aim was to educate the public. He visited schools and conferences. In 1939 Liers took twelve of his pets to Manhattan for the Annual National Sportsmen’s Show. This caused quite a stir in the press. Time magazine reported:

There Emil Liers, Minnesota trapper, proudly exhibited his pack of twelve otters, only ones ever bred, raised and trained in captivity. He has taught them to do practically anything otter-hunting dogs can do. The heavy (average: 24 Ibs.), healthy animals perform tricks, follow a scent, retrieve pheasants and ducks with the speed of a prize cocker spaniel.26

Liers also set up an otter sanctuary in Homer, Minnesota. ‘See the Otters!’ signs were put up along the Highway 61 to attract tourists. A small admission fee was charged to help support their upkeep. It was a unique experience. The AAA tour guide of 1946 described it as ‘the only trained Otters in the United States’.27 The key themes in An Otter’s Story very much brought together the personal experiences and observations of the author. His main intention was to change people’s attitudes about the animal. This is made clear in the book’s dedication: ‘To my friends the otters, with the prayer that the readers of this story may be impressed with the lovableness and intelligence of these little creatures.’28 The work of Emil E. Liers undoubtedly helped to save the lives of many North American river otters.

While Williamson and Liers fictionalized the wild ways of the animal, the author Frances Pitt (1888–1964) was writing about her domesticated otters. Pitt was very much part of the older amateur natural history tradition. A student of animal psychology and behaviour, she wrote 31 naturalist publications in her lifetime. Pitt believed the best way to learn about otters was to adopt and tame cubs. Moses, My Otter (1927) is a biographical story about her relationship with three tame otters, Moses, Aaron and Tom.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.