The Eurasian otter hasn’t been seen in more than a decade in the Southeast Asian country
Scientists have confirmed a sighting of a rare otter that they thought had been extirpated from Malaysia for more than a decade. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) near threatened, but the animals are incredibly rare in Southeast Asia. After more than a decade without detecting the otter in that region, scientists confirmed a sighting of an individual in Tangkulap Forest Reserve on the island of Borneo. The country’s three other otter species also live in this reserve, and the new sighting will elevate the reserve’s protection level, according to Panthera, a global cat conservation organization. “The discovery of the fourth species in Tangkulap indicates the habitat is abundant in prey and serves as a safe refuge—potentially for many other wildlife species as well. It is essential to conserve these species, especially in the face of habitat fragmentation,” said Chee Yoong from the Malaysia Otter Network and the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group, in a press release.
