Asian small-clawed otters are taken from their families when they are only a few days old and sold into the exotic pet trade. Many end up in otter cafés, like this cub in an establishment in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Highly social, Asian small-clawed otters
A staff member at an otter café in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, proudly shows off two Asian small-clawed otters. Otter cafés play up the inherent cuteness of this species, however this façade of “kawaii” has created a societal blind spot where this species is
An Asian small-clawed otter peers desolately out from a tank at a cramped café, Ikebukuro, Tokyo. This tank is the otters’only access to fresh water in which to swim. In the wild, Asian small-clawed otters require a mixture of both aquatic and terre
Rocky, an albino Asian small-clawed otter is a major attraction of this popular otter café in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. One of the rarest animals on Earth, Rocky will spend the majority of his life in the cages that surround him.
At this otter café in Harajuku, Tokyo, 3 Asian small-clawed otters are kept in a glass tank. Guests feed the otters through holes in the sides. According to the IUCN guidelines for the husbandry of Asian small-clawed otters in captivity, the otter’s
A staff member at Harajuku’s most popular otter café feeds an Asian small-clawed otter a snack. These snacks, often cheese or pet food, are highly unsuited for the otters whose natural diet consists largely of invertebrates like crabs or shellfish,
Two Asian small-clawed otters press their faces to the side of a tank desperate for food and attention, Harajuku, Tokyo. Concerted, grassroots public awareness campaigns are necessary in order to curb the growing demand for Asian small-clawed otters
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