A North American river otter has been documented in the Bronx River for the first time in more than a century. A motion-activated camera captured the animal foraging near vegetation in June, marking the first documented sighting in the river since the early 1900s.

 

A North American river otter has been documented in the Bronx River for the first time in more than a century. A motion-activated camera captured the animal foraging near vegetation in June, marking the first documented sighting in the river since the early 1900s.

This is more than a wildlife sighting. The Bronx River was once treated as an open sewer and dumping ground, with factories and slaughterhouses releasing chemicals, oil and animal blood into the water, while untreated sewage, tires, appliances and other waste further damaged the ecosystem. Decades of conservation work and environmental protections, including the Clean Water Act, have helped the river recover. Oysters have returned, and in 2007, beavers returned after more than 200 years away. 

River otters can grow up to 5 feet long, with their muscular tails making up about 40% of their body length. They need clean water and plenty of fish to survive, so this sighting is an encouraging sign, although one otter alone does not confirm an established population.

If wildlife can return to a river once considered an open sewer, what could long-term restoration achieve in other damaged urban waterways?