American river otter spotted in Chester County, 1st confirmed sighting in over 100 years
RIDLEY CREEK, Pa. (CBS) — An American river otter has been captured on video in southeastern Chester County in the headwaters of the Ridley Creek.
According to the Willistown Conservation Trust, this is the first time an American river otter has been spotted in the Ridley Creek watershed in over 100 years.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said otters disappeared from waterways across most of Pennsylvania in the early 1900s due to overhunting by fur trappers and declining water quality.
WCT says the animal's return to Ridley Creek is a sign that conservation efforts are working. The organization says it's been working to preserve habitats in the headwaters of the Ridley, Crum and Darby creek watersheds for nearly 3 decades.
The otter was first spotted on a trail camera operated by the trust in December 2023.
"River otters need abundant food and a high-quality ecosystem in order to survive, and their arrival in Ridley Creek is a signal that the land protection efforts of WCT and other organizations in the region has made a positive impact on the landscape!" the organization wrote on social media earlier this month.
River otters mostly eat aquatic life such as fish, frogs, crabs and crayfish but also eat smaller mammals like muskrats and rabbits, according to the National Wildlife Foundation.
