A newly documented river otter along the Bronx River marks the first such Bronx sighting in roughly 100 years.
For Bronx communities that have spent decades pushing for a cleaner river, the sighting is evidence that restoration work can help bring a damaged local ecosystem back to life.
Here’s what to know
No documented otter sighting had been reported in the borough since the early 1900s — until June 23, 2026, when a motion-triggered camera run by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Education Department at the Bronx Zoo captured one along the Bronx River, the zoo said in a news release.
RJ Hawkins, the local scientist who deployed the camera, said the image was an emotional surprise after years of monitoring the area…