Meet William Mgomo

William, what inspired you to want to help otters, and get into otter conservation?

I started my interest on otters after seeing them on National Geographical channel and then attending the IOSF Otter training workshop that was held in Mweka, Tanzania in 2015.

And which otter species is your main focus?

The main focus is on African clawless otter and Spotted-necked otter.

What are the major threats faced by otters in Tanzania?

There are a number of threats to otters in my area, such as:

• Poaching for the purpose of bush meat, skin and traditional medicine

• Otter conflict between fish farmers and fishermen

• Destruction of habitats through agricultural activities

• Depletion of food due to pesticides

• Pollutions

• Poor fishing practice, such as small size of fishing net, use of poison

  
  They are also killed due to beliefs from fishermen that otters possess a special root in their mouth that helps them to catch fish easily. So they are hunted in order to get the root from the otter, with fishermen believing that if they tie it on fishing nets, it will help them catch plenty of fish.
  
  Do you feel people in general understand the importance of otters in respect to the environment/biodiversity?
  
  Not all, but there are some people who understood the importance of otters in respect to the environment, mainly the conservationists and people who have been exposed to conservation awareness.
  
  Do you feel otters get a poor deal with conservation awareness, against some larger species, like the Lion, Rhino, Elephant, etc?
  
  Yes, otter awareness/conservation is less of a concern compared to large species of animals. Many conservation efforts concentrate on large species and forget about small species and their potential in ecology.
  
  What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
  
  The most challenging aspect of work is funding for work, and to change the beliefs of fishermen toward otter as it takes time.
  
  What is the best part of your otter work - or your greatest success?
  
  To reach many people through education awareness programmes such as visiting schools, village meetings, radio station shows and YouTube channel.
  
  
  
  A big thank you to William for answering our questions with some fantastic and insightful responses. We hope you keep up the amazing work you do for otters, for many years to come!