From waters near Washington, D.C., to downtown Norfolk and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, river otters are showing up in urban parts of the Chesapeake region that once seemed like unlikely habitat.
That marks a dramatic change for an animal that had largely vanished from much of the watershed only a few decades ago.
What’s happening?
Wildlife officials say the species, which many states in the Chesapeake Bay region once considered endangered, has expanded into city waterways long considered unsuitable for otters.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Journal, sightings have included Rock Creek Park and Anacostia in the Washington, D.C. area, all branches of the Elizabeth River near Norfolk, and a floating wetland in Baltimore’s harbor…