The first North American river otter in over a century was spotted in the Bronx Zoo on Aug. 19.<\/p>\n
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The otter was confirmed to be seen in the Bronx River<\/a> on Bronx Zoo grounds. The Wildlife Conservation Society Education Department saw the river otter on camera in mid-June, but it wasn\u2019t until Aug. 19 that RJ Hawkins, a graduate of the Miami University of Ohio Advanced Inquiry Program, was able to confirm and document the finding.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hawkins described the sighting<\/a> as both a surprise and a sign of environmental progress, he said, \u201cWhen I first reviewed the images, I could hardly believe what I was seeing\u2026knowing this may be the first documented river otter in the Bronx in generations was an incredible moment. It shows why long-term wildlife monitoring and environmental restoration efforts matter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n While river otters can still be found in the western region of New York, the Bronx has a limited number of otters because of overhunting and industrialization in the early 1900s<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Craig Piper, the director of the Bronx Zoo and an interim vice president with WCS\u2019s Zoos & Aquarium, claimed the river otter being present in the community is advantageous for all parties.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a win for both wildlife and people,\u201d Piper said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t simply the story of one animal. It\u2019s the story of an urban river coming back to life\u2026every improvement in water quality, every acre of restored habitat, every community volunteer who has cared for this river has helped make a moment like this possible. We hope it\u2019s the first of many.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n