Inside one man’s hunt for the elusive river otter
Photographer questions whether animal is still part of Toronto’s wildlife
The North American river otter should not be considered a Toronto mammal anymore. It’s the sobering conclusion photographer Andrew Budziak came to after countless dead ends and weakly-supported sightings from citizen naturalists.
In early March, Budziak, 35, gathered the research he did for his ongoing photo series on Toronto’s mammals, a project brought to life during the pandemic when all he had to explore was his home city. He was off to start his search for the most elusive mammal on his checklist: the river otter.
“I know the odds are against me, but I just want to stay optimistic,” Budziak said two months ago.
Now, after months of research and countless trips to river spots in the city, Budziak’s optimism has dwindled drastically as the odds of clocking an otter in Toronto are stacked higher than he first anticipated.
All his research into otters led back to a 2012 document from the City of Toronto that lists all the wildlife that can be found in the city. It acknowledges that some of Toronto’s native species — including the northern river otter — can no longer be found in the city, mainly because of losing their habitat to settlers. But it offers one glimmer of hope: In 2012, river otters had reportedly been spotted on the edge of Toronto’s city limits and though they may not stay in the area, it’s a sign that “local habitat restoration efforts are improving the landscape,” the document said.
The problem for Budziak, however, is that the document only provides an illustration of an otter and he wanted photographic evidence. Budziak asked his Instagram followers if anyone had seen and photographed an otter in Toronto and a few dozen responded, saying they’ve seen an otter. Some photographers and selfproclaimed naturalists sent in pictures as proof.
It turned out they were all snapshots of minks, which are still rarities in the city but have a higher chance of being seen. Like otters, minks are cute semi-aquatic mammals that are part of the weasel family. But they’re smaller than otters and have pointier faces and rounder, fluffier tails. No matter how politely he puts it, people are livid when he tells them that they photographed a mink instead of an otter.
“It felt like they’d show me a photo of their puppy and I told them, ‘That’s the ugliest puppy I’ve ever seen,’ ” Budziak said.
Once, Budziak thought he finally found a photo of an otter in Toronto and he was halfright — it was taken at the Toronto Zoo, a detail the photographer conveniently left out.
“The river otters are very popular with our guests because they’re so playful,” said Heather Reid, a staff veterinarian at the Toronto Zoo. “They’re always swimming and doing their turns and will come right up to the glass. People just love watching them.”
One of the places people say they see otters in the wilderness of Toronto also happens to be one of Budziak’s favourite hiking spots.
To get there, he steps over a roadside rail into a forest near the Don Valley, its muddy pathways formed mostly by deer that call it home. Pushing through branches and spider webs and balancing across fallen logs over small creeks, Budziak makes his way to the river. It’s where some people have photographed minks, thinking they were otters.
He doesn’t fault hobby photographers for not knowing the difference between the two semi-aquatic mammals. It takes some effort to find educational material on city wildlife.
“Unless you’re part of a biology and ecology program, you’re on your own to read, watch documentaries and call people,” Budziak said.
One of the best places to start making calls to is the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Karen McDonald, the senior manager of ecosystem management for the TRCA, said it’s not common for people to call about an otter sighting, but when they do, it’s a mink. But that wasn’t the case with Paul Prior, a biologist at TRCA. Between 2019 and 2020, Prior has seen otters at Tommy Thompson Park three times and has photo and video evidence to prove it.
“I know that they are present in Toronto, but I suspect their population is quite low,” McDonald said.
The TRCA doesn’t actively survey for mammals the same way it surveys other species like birds and amphibians, which are easier to spot thanks to the noises they make. Instead, McDonald said mammals are often “incidental observations,” where a staff member spots something simply out of luck.
The TRCA has seen park usage soar tenfold and has had to work more on educational efforts to accommodate for this increase. At Tommy Thompson Park, there are now two nature interpreters instead of one during the weekends who are there to answer any questions about wildlife. And as a COVIDfriendly alternative to guided walks and nature camps, the TRCA launched At Home With Nature, a series of webinars about Toronto’s flora and fauna.
“The investments we’ve made at the Spit, I think, are proof that if you put the effort in, we’ll get a great wildlife response,” McDonald said. “These wetlands would provide great habitats for wildlife, including the river otter. So who knows? We might see more otters on the landscape faster than we think.”
McDonald hasn’t seen any signs of an updated Mammals of Toronto list coming anytime soon, but when it does, Budziak thinks it’s best to keep river otters under the list of mammals that no longer exist in the city.
“It doesn’t do the city any good to have this inflated list of what’s here — we can’t be pretending we’re greener than we are. As a city, we really need to be honest about what’s here.”
Otters may never adjust to the city life and won’t be a permanent fixture in Toronto’s wildlife. But if conservation efforts are done right, some might pop by occasionally. For now, the best bet for seeing an otter in the city is at the zoo.