THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 287 



the animal by its hind legs into a vertically placed cage. An otter 

 held off the ground by its hind legs is unable to bend its body far 

 enough to bite its captor. The caged otter (fig. 106) was then 

 carried to a boat or to the nearest road. 



Environmental Needs of Captives 



From 1932 to 1937 Soviet biologists experimentally held captive 

 sea otters (Barabash-Nikiforov, 1947). Animals were eventually 

 held successfully in cages built at the edge of a bay where tidal 

 water was used to flush and clean the enclosures (Reshetkin and 

 Shidlovskaya, 1947). The details of this work were unknown to 

 us until 1962. Even so, all coastal areas at Amchitka, where our 

 work was done, were exposed to storm waves, so we could not 

 use enclosures placed directly in sea water. After considerable ex- 

 perimentation, a satisfactory field holding facility was constructed 

 on land. 



Figure 106. — This 65-lb. male otter was carried for over a mile in this manner. 

 After an initial frantic struggle when netted, it settled down and rode 

 quite calmly in the cage. (KWK 56-3-40) 



