In April 2023, fishermen caught a Eurasian otter in their net in the Karnali River, western Nepal, and reported the finding to researchers. A new study now confirms that this marks the northernmost spot in the country where the species has been spotted, Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi reported in June. The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) occurs widely across Europe and Asia, from as far west as the Iberian Peninsula and British Isles to the eastern borders of Asia, as well as down south to Vietnam to far north as Russia. However, in Nepal, it hadn’t been confirmed for decades until 2021, when there were a number of sightings across the country’s rivers. The latest sighting of the otter in Karnali River is cause for both excitement and concern, researchers told Mongabay. “The finding is important as we confirm the northernmost documented record of the animal in Nepal,” said Rinzin Phunjok Lama, co-author of the study. “But that the animal was found dead most likely because it got strangled in a net also raises concerns about its conservation.” Estimates for the global population of Eurasian otters, classified as near threatened, range from almost 60,000 to more than 360,000 mature individuals. While widespread, the species’ range is likely underexplored, Joshi writes. Recently, it was photographed by camera traps in Malaysia after not being spotted there for more than a decade. Otters inhabit rivers, wetlands and lakes that are very sensitive to human activities, especially those affecting river flow and bankside vegetation, making…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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