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\u201cThey\u2019ve got many otter-like features; fabulous whiskers, a broad head with strong muscle attachments for their jaws and can go through the water like a tugboat, they have small ears to be streamlined, webbed feet, fur like an otter, and a conical-shaped tail which stores fat and acts as a rudder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Williams said reports of sightings at Lake Wendouree have increased in the last two years, however, concerns have grown, so education and awareness is key.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople see them not just in the water, but exploring the surrounding areas, and they don\u2019t know what they are, or assume they\u2019re rats,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes people put out Ratsak, or rat traps, quite a few have been killed by cars on the surrounding roads, and there has been at least one documented case of one being deliberately killed by shooting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to get the message out there that Rakali have white tips on their tails, and if you do see them, they\u2019re not going to be a pest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Williams suggested signage could be installed in the surrounding areas to alert people, and drivers, to the presence of rakali, and to slow down.<\/p>\n
He said Rakali are smart, cute, and sometimes come up to the feet of humans to beg for food, however, they shouldn\u2019t be fed, or patted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this goes on and people don\u2019t respect wild animals, eventually they can get bitten. They have formidable teeth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n