Around a decade ago the authorities confirmed that otters had returned to the River Segura in the south of Alicante province. Since then, this emblematic species has started to colonise nearby El Hondo natural park, which lies in the municipalities of Elche and Crevillente.
The otter had disappeared from the river during the 1960s due to hunting and increasing pollution, but its return is part of a resurgence around the Valencia region which has meant that it is no longer considered a threatened species.
The regional government’s environment department stated in 2024 that the improvement of the ecosystems inhabited by the otter has meant it has been detected in 725 kilometres of rivers around the Valencia region, which is 214km more than in 2014.
“In recent years the European otter (Lutra lutra) has recolonised zones of the Valencia region which it had abandoned decades ago and has spread to other areas where it has never been seen before,” notes a press release from the department.
The improvement of water quality in the rivers has been attributed in part to the installation of purification stations which are releasing treated water into the rivers. The otter is now inhabiting coastal areas as well as rivers, they state. The appearance of the invasive American crab has led to an abundant food source for the otters in areas close to the coast, taking them into new territory which historically has low populations of fish.
In Alicante province the otter is also now expanding its range along the River Serpis; it has been spotted in Polop and has been confirmed in the River Vinalopó close to Aspe. Amazingly it has also been seen in the Turia inside the metropolitan area of Valencia city.
Workers for the Segura river and water authority (CHS) have recorded otter footprints in Rojales and Guardamar close to the mouth of the river. They say the presence of the mammal shows that the quality of the water in the river has improved and that there are enough fish to support an otter population. According to the CHS, otters can travel up to 10km in one day, up or down river.
The Valencia government released the photo (included here) of the two otters in the River Bergantes in Castellón. In Spanish an otter is a ‘nutria’.
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