Deep in the Tangkulap Forest Reserve in Malaysia, conservation organization Panthera has an array of cameras set up, hoping to catch glimpses of different animals. While reviewing photos from cameras meant to document the elusive and endangered Flat-headed cat, researchers did a double take. A camera had captured someone unexpected — someone who hadn’t been seen in Malaysia in 11 years.
“The Eurasian otter has long been a mysterious species in Malaysia, with a scarcity of evidence confirming its presence in the country,” Tee Thye Lim, Project Coordinator for Panthera Malaysia, told The Dodo.
Researchers feared the Eurasian otter population in Malaysia had completely disappeared. No one had seen the species in over a decade — until one happened to wander by a camera.
“This photographic evidence not only solidifies its presence in the Tangkulap Forest Reserve but also designates this area, managed by the Sabah Forestry Department, as the sole location in Malaysia known to host all four native otter species,” Lim said.
In addition to the Eurasian otter, the area is known to be home to the Asian small-clawed otter, the smooth-coated otter and the hairy-nosed otter. Having all four native otter species appear in one place is a confirmation of the area’s rich biodiversity — and proof that conservation efforts from organizations like Panthera are working.
“This news is incredibly exciting, especially considering that the last confirmed sighting of a Eurasian otter was in 2014,” Lim said.
The researchers were thrilled to see proof of the Eurasian otter, even if only for a moment.
“During the period when the images were captured, the area was experiencing flooding,” Lim said. “An otter was observed passing by the camera in a non-flooded section, making a U-turn, and then exiting the camera’s view.”
While researchers would love to see more Eurasian otters in their natural habitat, for now, just knowing that they’re there is enough.
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