High Hopes for Rare Otter

Asian small-clawed otter

On the island of Borneo in Indonesia, a photograph was taken of an otter which was originally thought to have become extinct. This otter, known as the hairy-nosed otter, is indigenous throughout Southeast Asia but increased hunting for its fur and meat along with destruction of wetlands pushed it to the brink of extinction. The last official sighting of the animal was in Borneo, but it was found dead on a road. It was then never seen on the island, or elsewhere in Southeast Asia. However, sightings have been recorded in Cambodia and Vietnam several years ago in turn raising hopes for the otter's survival. Another recent sighting took place in the Sabah state of Malaysia during the second half of 2008.

I'm very happy to see that a creature, thought to have been extinct many years ago, has been sighted again with hopes for survival. It reminds me of various new findings in biologically diverse jungles around the world in the past few years. Some of the animals were newly discovered, while others were thought to have been extinct long time ago. This otter is a perfect representation of wildlife thought to have perished long back, and has now been rediscovered. I also hope that this animal will be protected by conservation groups and wildlife officials throughout Southeast Asia from the ever-encroaching danger of the illegal wildlife trade.

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