After almost a century: a predator believed to be extinct returns to Baden-Württemberg
Created: 07/03/2022 17:53
By: Franziska Vystrcil
After 94 years, another otter has been spotted in Baden-Württemberg.
It was considered extinct there (symbol image).
© Ronald Wittek/imago images
It was last seen in Baden-Württemberg almost a hundred years ago, and now the first specimen has settled in the country again: the otter is back.
Freiburg – You can find lots of videos of cute otters on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.
They wash their faces, frolic around with each other or float through the water holding hands.
In Baden-Württemberg, there hasn't been such a sight in the great outdoors for a long time.
The predators once populated all of Germany, but are now considered extinct in large parts of Germany.
The marten has also not been seen in the south-west for almost a hundred years.
However, as the regional council of Freiburg has now announced, a copy has been sighted several times in the last year and a half on the upper Danube in the Black Forest-Baar district, as reported by BW24*.
Otter sighted in the Schwarzwald-Baar district: "Great success in species protection"
The joy of the 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 seen 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 prohibited in Germany since 1968.
Nevertheless, 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 pursuing the shy animal," said the regional council of Freiburg.
The otter is not the only animal reclaiming its habitat.
For the first time in 155 years, a wolf has settled in the Odenwald.
Other animal species that have been exterminated, such as the lynx and jackal, are also returning to Baden-Württemberg.
Exterminated predator returns to Baden-Württemberg - origin unclear
The nature conservationists 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 sees the fact that the water marten has now been spotted again in Baden-Württemberg as a good sign.
Because otters only settle in areas with good water quality.
More copies may follow soon.
Unlike with wolves or lynxes, animal rights activists do not believe that there will be conflicts between humans and otters.
In addition to fish, the marten also eats frogs, crabs and sometimes a rodent or a 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 in Baden-Württemberg are being drawn to the cities.
This often leads to conflicts between humans and animals.
The return of wolves is worrying farmers and sheep breeders, for example.
As is the case for wolves, humans pose the greatest threat to otters. Cars in particular often fall prey to this crepuscular and nocturnal animal.
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The otter
Otters belong to the mustelids.
Their elongated and streamlined bodies are perfectly adapted for aquatic life.
The body of an otter can be up to one meter long, with the tail it often reaches up to 1.40 meters with a shoulder height of 25 to 30 centimeters.
Otters are found throughout most of Europe, inhabiting streams, rivers, lakes, swamps, ponds and even coastal waters.