It is believed to be undergoing severe population decline due to habitat destruction and is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List.

[4] In March 2005, an otter civet was photographed by a camera trap within an acacia plantation in central Sarawak during 1,632 trap-nights.

[6] Between July 2008 and January 2009, ten otter civets were photographed in an area of about 112 km2 (43 sq mi) in Sabah's Deramakot Forest Reserve, a lowland tropical rainforest in Borneo ranging in altitude from 60–250 m (200–820 ft).

[7] In May 2009, the presence of otter civets was documented for the first time in central Kalimantan, where two individuals were photographed in the Sabangau Peat-swamp Forest at an elevation of about 11 m (36 ft).

[8] The otter civet is a nocturnal species that obtains most of its food from the water, feeding on fish, crabs and freshwater mollusks.