Saving the Giant River Otters of Guyana
Remembering Conservation Legend Diane McTurk
“CATCH THAT FROG!” Diane screamed. “The otter mustn’t eat the frog!”
I was a guest at Karanambu Lodge in the interior of Guyana, and I could tell by her tone that this gentle, white-haired woman meant business.
The race was on!
I dove across furniture and charged after the little frog, which was being pursued by a baby otter.
With a final lunge, I cupped my palms around the frog just as the otter prepared to pounce on his lunch.
“Got him!”
I held up my hands triumphantly to show Diane that I had rescued the frog. The little otter looked at me in confusion.
“Don’t touch the frog’s stomach!” Diane yelled. “That’s where the poison glands are!”
This seemed like valuable information I needed 20 seconds before…
…But maybe she knew I wouldn’t have been so anxious to help if I’d known that frog was poisonous.
Guyana is situated in a remote and untouched corner of South America between the…
