A glut of social media videos featuring captive Asian small-clawed otters in the mid-2000s led to what wildlife trade experts term “the pet otter boom.” Demand for the species exploded, placing pressure on wild populations already contending with widespread loss of their wetland habitats. Amid an emerging trend for otter-themed exotic animal cafes in some … Continue reading DNA probe links Japan’s otter-themed cafes to poaching hotspots in Thailand