Unexpected animal residents
Watershed trail cameras point to a returning population of river otters in P.E.I.
KENSINGTON, P.E.I. – River otters may be starting to make a comeback in P.E.I. in the Kensington watershed area.
Since the early 20th century, river otters have been considered locally extinct in P.E.I. due to overharvesting and habitat loss.
From 2014 to 2019, there were seven reported incidents of river otters being accidentally trapped and dying in beaver traps around the province. When investigating the origins of the otters, Forest, Fish and Wildlife concluded these animals to be lost visitors to the Island rather than permanent residents.
With the discovery of a deceased baby otter in 2019, however, the possibility of a returning population in P.E.I. was back on the table.
In the following months, trail cameras installed by Forest, Fish and Wildlife were able to photograph adult otters with otter pups. This led to the conclusion of a small, unstable population of river otters in the Kensington area, said Matthew Ginn, a wildlife management biologist with Forest, Fish and Wildlife.
“We don’t think they’ve gone further than the Kensington area,” Ginn told Saltwire on April 4.
Forest, Fish and Wildlife believes the returning river otters were rogue otters swimming across the Northumberland Strait.
KENSINGTON ROOTS
The Kensington North Watersheds Association maintains a network of approximately 10 trail cameras throughout the area, a combination of those originally installed by Forest, Fish and Wildlife and those installed by the association since 2019.
These cameras have been crucial to confirming the presence of the elusive mammal. As of April 2024, the association remains the only watershed to have a confirmed otter presence.
Haylah Wagner, the interim executive director if the Kensington North Watersheds Association, told Saltwire on April 11 she is delighted about the otters.
Within her first week at the association, Wagner said she was able to see an otter while out in the field.
“It’s just really exciting, because you're like, 'oh what’s that moving around,’ and you're like, ‘it’s just a beaver,’ and then you're like, ‘oh no it’s an otter!’” Wagner said.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
When the cameras were installed in 2019, the otters were only seen by one or two cameras. Five years later, they are consistently photographed by at least four of the cameras, Wagner said.
“We’ve seen them moving (locations) throughout the years. It’s definitely a slow move, but we’re hoping now that they’ve explored the area they’ll keep spreading,” Wagner said.
The cameras are checked every two weeks, with at least two areas monitored by the association yielding consistent photographs of the otters.
“They’ve definitely spread out; normally, it's just one or two (otters) that we see (on the cameras at a time),” Wagner said.
The association has begun to gain a reputation as "the otter watershed," a nickname it is wholeheartedly accepting Wagner said.
“The community love to just talk to us about the otters,” Wagner said.
Occasionally, residents of the Kensington area will reach out to the association to report a possible otter sighting.
Following this, the association can install trail cameras to confirm the presence of otters. If they are indeed in the area, the association can determine whether it is a traveller or a would-be resident of the area.
While the otters monitored by the association’s trail cameras largely remain near the barrier ponds, they are known to explore outside these areas.
To protect the river otters, traps have been restricted in the Kensington area, with live traps being permitted for specific problem animals on a case-by-case basis, Ginn said.
“In (Kensington), there’s no trapping allowed for beavers, except under a special permit for a particular beaver,” Ginn said.
LOOKING TO FUTURE
Ginn believes P.E.I. could support the return of a small population of river otters, but the species are still in a precarious position, and a stable population could take dozens of generations and as many as 20 years to establish.
“The hope is that they will spread and establish an Islandwide population,” Ginn said.
In Kensington, the watersheds association intends to expand their trail camera collection and increase their ability to monitor the area.
Wagner shared she also looks forward to the day when another watershed contacts them about otters living in their area.
“We’re just hoping to see them thrive,” Wagner said.