Overview
- The Wildlife Conservation Society and Bronx Zoo confirmed a motion-activated camera trapped a North American river otter on June 23, 2026, marking the first documented sighting in the Bronx in about a century.
- The camera was deployed and reviewed by RJ Hawkins, who said he was stunned and could hardly believe the image when he first saw it.
- Bronx Zoo leaders credited decades of river cleanup and habitat restoration led by WCS, the Bronx River Alliance, and partners for improving water quality and fish habitat that make the river more hospitable to otters.
- Researchers said one photograph does not prove a resident or breeding population and urged expanded surveillance such as more camera traps, targeted surveys, and water‑quality monitoring to determine whether otters have re‑established.
- For local communities the sighting follows earlier recovery signs including the return of beavers in 2007 and could signal more wildlife, better recreation, and continued pressure to fund river restoration work.