Overview
- Wildlife Conservation Society officials confirmed a motion-activated camera trap captured a North American river otter in the Bronx, a sighting not documented there since the early 1900s.
- The image was taken on June 23, 2026, by a camera deployed by RJ Hawkins and monitored by the WCS Education Department at the Bronx Zoo.
- Reviewers say the photo likely shows a juvenile and mainly records the animal’s backside, so identification was cautious but later confirmed by experts.
- Scientists and local groups praised the sighting as evidence that decades of cleanup and habitat work have improved water and fish habitat but warned a single photo does not prove a resident population.
- The return of beavers in 2007 and this otter sighting show long-term restoration gains, and partners say they will keep monitoring water quality, contaminants and wildlife to see if the river can support breeding otters.