Do your kids love cute creatures? Maybe they’re fans of Emmitt Otterton from the movie, “Zootopia.” If so, they’ll be excited to hear about the latest local wildlife news: An adorable river otter was spotted on Staten Island!
The otter was seen harassing fish on the South Shore. He was caught on camera helping himself to a seafood snack out of a local homeowner’s koi pond. And the large-clawed culprit proved he has a preference for fine dining: The fish he ate was very expensive.
“I went out one morning and there’s half a koi laying on my patio. I was wondering, ‘what’s going on here?,’” Bill, the homeowner, said. “These are pretty big koi—18 to 20 inches long. A koi that big can cost around $400.”
After investigating the crime scene, Bill checked his security cameras and saw the rascally weasel in the act.
The incident happened in March of this year, but the 3-foot-long furry fish fiend hasn’t returned.
“He hasn’t come back. I figured he’d be a regular dinner guest,” Bill, who loves animals, said.
Confirming it was an Otter Spotted on Staten Island
Bill showed the video to several wildlife experts who confirmed that this was in fact a river otter. Cliff Hagen, president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods on Staten Island, was among them.
“It is definitely a river otter,” Hagen said, adding that Staten Island has been very successful with preserving open space for wildlife and nature.
At this point, you might be wondering: What exactly is an otter? First, it’s important to know there are several species of otter. The otter spotted on Staten Island is most likely a North American river otter, a species found throughout most North America from the Rio Grande to Canada and Alaska (minus arid deserts and the treeless Arctic).
So, is it normal for river otters to be found in Staten Island? The short answer is absolutely! In fact, the species is surviving and thriving locally.
“It is definitely possible for river otter to be found in Staten Island and New York City,” a spokesperson for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation told Staten Island Parent. “River otter have been naturally recolonizing and expanding on Long Island and are doing well.”
Other Otters Spotted
This isn’t the first time a river otter has been spotted on Staten Island. See, the DEC tracks sightings through the Furbearer Sighting Survey, where the public can submit reports of certain furbearer species such as river otters. Most of the reported otter sightings are from Suffolk County, Long Island, but there was one seen in the borough in 2019. There was even one spotted in Manhattan this year.
Hagen underscored what the DEC said about otters doing well around here.
“Here we have nature returning to Staten Island. It’s another indication that we’re doing a great job,” he said.
Staten Island is at the foot of major rivers, including the Hudson, Passaic and Raritan Rivers. River otters are semi-aquatic mammals. They swim and are often looking for new territories.
“Like any other animal, the young get pushed out to find their way in the world,” Hagen explained.
Overdevelopment and Wildlife
Sadly, overdevelopment can push local wildlife out of its natural habitat, too. River otters have been spotted years ago in Bloomfield and the surrounding northwest part of Staten Island, where a lot of industrial and business development has occurred.
What can look like a large empty wasteland to the general public can very well be a lush ecosystem of birds, toads, snakes, groundhogs and other animals hiding and living in plain sight.
“Any sort of large projects move animals,” Hagen said. “We had a few different species of bird that used to nest out on those properties, but they’re not there anymore. When you build like that, you definitely push wildlife aside, and they have to find new territories. That might very well be where this otter came from.”
The Benefit of Being the Borough of Parks
But the good news is that Staten Island—the borough of parks—still has enough open space for animals to live. Also, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, North American river otters prefer unpolluted waters—another sign that could indicate waterways are still improving in or around Staten Island.
Hagen and his team at Protectors work to tell the story of local wildlife and why it’s important to protect animals and habitat.
“The value of a healthy environment is multifaceted,” he said. “It’s beneficial to our physical, mental and spiritual well being. It’s beneficial to our pocketbooks. The value of homes rise in direct co-relation to the location of the closest park. The closer you are to open space, the more valuable your home is. There are real clear reasons for preserving open space.”
As for Bill the homeowner , he wants to preserve wildlife too. But, he admits he would prefer if hungry carnivores stayed away from his beautiful koi.
“I have a plastic mesh on top of the pond to keep the birds out,” Bill said. “Now I have chicken wire wrapped around the pond. I still have three koi in there.”
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