A Tiny Otter That Vanished From Nepal in the 1800s Reappears
In the same way you can't prove a negative, "extinction" is always an informed guess. If we haven't seen hide nor hair (sometimes literally) of something for long enough, we have to assume it's not out there anymore.
But sometimes we assume wrong. Such was the case with the De Winton's golden mole, which no one saw between 1936 and 2023, or the giant, elusive "ghost fish" of Cambodia's Mekong River. But finding these never-extinct-in-the-first place species is rare.
However, one more miracle reappearance has just occurred. Amid a global biodiversity crisis, the Asian small-clawed otter has emerged from hiding in Nepal to give otter enthusiasts hope.
The Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) is the smallest otter species on the planet, weighing only 2.7 to 3.5 kilograms. Its short claws, which give it its name, make it particularly dexterous, helping it pry open the molluscs and crabs it feeds on. These otters are very social and friendly, mating for life and often traveling in large family groups.
They're adaptable too, and live in a variety of different environments, including mangrove forests, swamps, swift rivers, stagnant pools, and rice paddy fields. In fact, rice farmers consider them helpful to have around, since they eat crabs, which farmers consider pests.
Small-clawed otters still live across Southeast Asia and into India. The last time they were officially seen in Nepal was 1839, so it's no surprise that they were considered extinct there.
Over the past few years, visitors to Makalu Barun National Park in the eastern Himalaya have reported scattered, unverified sightings of the little otter. But it remained elusive until forestry officials stumbled upon it.
A bulletin by the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group announced the confirmed presence of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal. The discovery of a surviving Nepalese otter population came when a local from Dadeldhura village found an injured baby otter by the Rangun and Puntara Rivers. Not knowing the significance of the little creature, the local passed it on to local forestry officials.
The Forestry Officer, Rajeev Chaudhary, thought it might be a small-clawed otter. While he was nursing it back it health, he took photos and videos of the pup. Chaudhary then sent them to Nepalese otter experts at the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. They confirmed his suspicions and set about a habitat study in the area. Meanwhile, the pup in question recovered its strength and was released back into the wild.
Asian small-clawed otters are listed as Vulnerable to Extinction. This discovery doesn't change that. The fact that these tenacious little otters are clinging on to their ancestral territory in Nepal is only more reason they need immediate support.
For one thing, they aren't on Nepal's Aquatic Animal Protection Act list. The river ecosystems they inhabit are threatened by mining, over-fishing, agricultural run-off, and deforestation. Getting official protection, now that they officially exist, is crucial.
"A timely conservation effort for this exceptionally rare species, a keystone aquatic mesocarnivore, is now urgently needed in Nepal," the IUCN bulletin concludes.
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