PHOTO BY POINT PELEE NATIONAL PARK
Although they were taken off Ohio’s endangered species list in 2002, it has been difficult to find otters near Lake Erie and other areas around the Great Lakes. However, tracks started popping up in Ontario in 2019 and, more recently, there have been otters spotted at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio and Point Pelee National Park in Leamington, Ontario, according to Great Lakes Now.
Otters have a long history with the Great Lakes region, which can be seen through efforts to restore the population after the expansive Fur Trade. Some, like Great Lakes Now contributor John Hartig, are hopeful that the return of the river otter to western Lake Erie and a busy city like Toronto could mean a resurgence. To read more about the sightings, visit greatlakesnow.org/2020/05/river-otters-western-lake-erie.
