Leaving Karanambu

One last look at the Giant River Otter cubs

And a Thank You, to Diane and to Andrea & Salvadore (below)

We load, one last time, into the  boats - Marilynn, Martin, Elaine, Clif; Kenneth driving the boat and Salvador on shore

Down the Rupununi to Ginep Landing, birding along the way, but we're a little behind schedule so we don't dawdle much.  We're about 1 1/2 hours on the river at a good speed.

Where we are met by Ron, Milner and drivers from Surama village

It was a two hour drive to Surama - the distance probably wasn't all that far, but the road was full of potholes.  The road is the main thoroughfare from Georgetown on the coast to Lethem and into Brazil. 

We made a pit-stop at The Oasis.  Oh my, I bought a Coke.  I dearly wanted a bag of chips or something junk-foodie, but no.  Dang, this is a healthy country!

We would be back at The Oasis to walk, no climb, that Panorama Nature Trail in a few days.  In the meantime, on to Surama. 

Why not visit Andrea & Salvadore's blog  at http://theadventuresofandreasalvador.blogspot.com/

Diane McTurk & Her Orphaned Giant River Otters

Giant waterlilies, old jeeps, and terrific birding aside, the heart and soul of Karanambu is Diane McTurk.  And, her heart and soul belong to her beloved Giant River Otters.

Diane (pronounced  DEE-ann) spent her childhood at Karanambu, the cattle ranch established by her father, Tiny McTurk.  As she related, she "ran naked in paradise".  Like most British Colonial children of the time, she was sent to school in England.  In the mid-1970s, she returned to Guyana full-time, took over Karanambu with the intent to earn enough money to keep the ranch operational by inviting tourists to come stay. 

Shortly after, Diane began rescuing, raising and rehabilitating orphaned otters.  Some have been released into their wild river habitat.  The ones that were not have found excellent homes in zoos in the US and elsewhere.

These are the two 1 year olds, currently in residence.  Visit Andrea & Salvadore's blog (link below) to read about the raising of these two cuties.

The Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)  is found only in the rivers and creeks of the Amazon, Orinoco and LaPlata river systems in South America.  It is the world's largest otter reaching 1.8 m in length.    

They have webbed feet and water-repellent fur.  Their nostrils and ears close tightly when in the water. 

They swim by flexing their long bodies and propelling with their tails.

Each animal eats 3-4 kg of food per day. 

Red-bellied Piranha.  mmmmmm ummmmm good...

Sharp teeth!   They like to bite toes.

This young fellow is one of the fishermen and caretakers of the otters.  He's been out fishing for their supper. 

The small reddish ones are Red-bellied Piranha.  The larger are Butterfly Peacock Bass (Chichla orinocensis)

The Giant River Otters are highly endangered due to hunting and habitat loss.  They are the rarest otters in the world, with only a few thousand left in the wild.

Diane McTurk - a very beautiful and inspiring woman.

The Karanambu Trust:  http://www.karanambutrust.org/
Andrea & Salvadore's blog:  http://theadventuresofandreasalvador.blogspot.com/
Dr. Lucy's blog:  http://savingotters.wildlifedirect.org/
Otter facts from:  http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-river-otter/