A North American river otter has been recorded on New York City’s Bronx River for the first time in about 100 years, Smithsonian Magazine reports.
Wildlife biologist R.J. Hawkins, working with the Wildlife Conservation Society, caught the animal on a night-vision trail camera. The picture shows little more than its back end and tail disappearing into a bush, but it was enough to confirm the visit. Otters need clean fresh water, so their return is a strong sign that the river is healing.
For much of the 19th and 20th centuries the Bronx River was a dumping ground, and as recently as the 1980s it held tyres and abandoned cars. Around 50 years of clean-up work has followed. Beavers have come back, and a mink was spotted this summer. The Bronx River Alliance and the Bronx Zoo have invited the public to help name the otter.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine