scroll down to see updates about Salami’s work!
Introduction
Salami Olalekan graduated from the Department of Ecotourism and Wildlife Management in The Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria and is currently running his MSc in Wildlife Ecology and Rangeland Management with research interest in the Occurrence Pattern, Threat and Conflict with Humans of Otter and African Manatee along the longest coastline in Nigeria (Ondo State).
The African clawless otter and the spotted-necked otter are both present in his study area but the spotted-necked otter seems to be more abundance in the region.
Salami has developed questionnaires and focus group interview questions for the communities he approaches and shows them photos for identification.
Most of the people he interviews are Ikales and Ilajes that understand Yoruba language (his native language), while the Ijaws are predominantly fishermen that understand Yoruba and pidgin English. The few that he cannot communicate with are interpreted by an official local guide which makes the work easier.
August 2021 Update
In the last few months, Salami proceeded to continue his research on spotted-necked otters (Hydrictis maculicollis) and African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis). The study was carried out in the coastal areas of Ondo State located in the Southwestern region of Nigeria, mainly by visiting and recording all the communities in which otters were sighted both directly and indirectly. The study and the distribution map of spotted-necked otters in the riverine areas can be seen here.
African otter Network 