It was last seen in Baden-Württemberg nearly a hundred years ago, and now the first specimen has once again settled in the country: the otter is back.
Freiburg – You can find many videos of cute otters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. They wash their faces, joke with each other or float in the water holding hands. In Baden-Württemberg, such a spectacle has not been seen in the open air for a long time. Predators once roamed all of Germany, but are now considered extinct in much of Germany.
Otter sighted in the Black Forest-Baar district: “Great success in species protection”
The marten also hadn’t been seen in the Southwest for nearly a hundred years. As reported by the Freiburg regional council, a specimen has been sighted several times in the last two years on the upper Danube in the Black Forest-Baar district.
The joy of sighting is great. “The return of the otter is a great success in terms of species protection,” says Tobias Kock from the nature conservation department of the Freiburg regional council. The last otter was sighted in Donaueschingen in Baden-Württemberg in 1928. For a long time, the predator was hunted throughout Europe. Today, the otter is protected in most countries. Hunting for him has also been banned in Germany since 1968.
To protect the predator: the exact whereabouts of the otter are kept secret
However, conservationists fear that the rare specimen in the Black Forest-Baar district could fall victim to humans. The exact location of the sightings is therefore kept secret. “We want to prevent people from visiting or even chasing the shy animal,” said the Freiburg regional council.
The otter is not the only animal claiming its habitat. For the first time in 155 years, a wolf has settled in the Odenwald. Other exterminated animal species, such as lynx and jackal, are also returning to Baden-Württemberg.
Unpopular predator in Bavaria: Otter kills 1,200 fish in one night
Exterminated predator returns to Baden-Württemberg after almost 100 years – origin unclear
Environmentalists do not know where the Baden-Württemberg otter originally came from. Probably from Bavaria or Switzerland. Because there are still few conspecifics there. The Presidium believes that the fact that martens have been sighted again in Baden-Württemberg is a good sign. Because otters only settle in areas with good water quality. Other copies may follow soon.
Unlike wolves or lynxes, animal rights activists don’t believe there will be conflict between humans and otters. In addition to fish, the marten also eats frogs, crabs, and sometimes a rodent or bird. According to the presidency, it could only become a problem for commercial fish farmers. It is different with other animal species. More and more wild animals from Baden-Württemberg are attracted to the cities. This often leads to conflicts between humans and animals. The return of wolves worries farmers and sheep breeders, for example.
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As with wolves, humans pose the greatest threat to otters: cars in particular often fall prey to this nocturnal, nocturnal animal.
The otter
Otters belong to the mustelids. Their elongated, streamlined bodies are perfectly adapted to aquatic life. The body of an otter can be up to one meter long, with the tail often reaching up to 1.40 meters with a shoulder height of 25 to 30 centimeters. Otters are found across much of Europe, inhabiting streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, ponds, and even coastal waters.
