<
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/otter-bronx-river-new-york-city>
"An otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in more than
100 years, in a further sign that New York’s previously befouled waterways are
recovering some of their ecological health.
The North American river otter was photographed by a motion-activated camera
foraging near some vegetation in the Bronx River, a waterway that flows through
New York’s Bronx and empties into the East River.
The image, captured in June by the camera of RJ Hawkins, a scientist affiliated
with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx zoo, is the first documented
sighting of a river otter in the river since the early 1900s, according to the
society.
“When I first reviewed the images, I could hardly believe what I was seeing,”
said Hawkins. “Knowing 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.”
River otters are found across North America and were once plentiful in New
York’s rivers but vanished due to rampant water pollution, habitat loss and
trapping for their fur.
The Bronx River, in particular, was treated as an open sewer and a dumping
ground for New York’s rapidly expanding industrial base as the city grew into
an economic powerhouse in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Factories and slaughterhouses dumped chemicals, oil and animal blood directly
into the water, with untreated sewage also seeping into the waterway. The river
faced the further indignity of becoming a sort of garbage tip, as people threw
old tires, appliances and other unwanted materials into it.
This decimated local wildlife, but concerted conservation efforts and laws such
as the
Clean Water Act have in recent years helped restore the Bronx River’s
fortunes, to the point that species such as oysters have returned.
In 2007, beavers returned to the river for the first time in more than 200
years, the zoo said, and the appearance of a river otter suggests the waterway,
which is New York City’s only freshwater river, is continuing to recover from
decades of pollution.
While the sighting of a single otter doesn’t confirm a larger resident
population, it is encouraging as river otters require clean water and abundant
fish."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
