NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – They used to be found in rivers across New Mexico, but for years they’ve been mostly absent. Now, the state believes restoration efforts are helping otters make a comeback in the state. “Like many species, they were eventually extirpated from their native range in New Mexico likely as a result of over-harvesting,” said Executive Director Jesse Deubel, New Mexico Wildlife Federation.
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Although they don’t know just how many were in the state, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish said in the early 1900s most of the state’s river otters were lost due to unregulated trapping and habitat loss. “In 2008 to 2010, the department released 33 otters, and those reintroduction efforts took otters from Washington and brought them into the upper Rio Grande,” said Carnivore and Small Mammal Program Manager for the New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish Nick Forman.