A team from the University of the Ryukyus confirmed on August 17 that a wild otter has been spotted in Japan for the first time in 38 years in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture. The animal was captured on film by an unmanned camera that was trying to record the Tsushima cat (variety of leopard) earlier in February. The five-second clip has left experts unsure of the species, but given that the Japanese river otter was registered as extinct in 2012, it is suspected that it may have swam across the sea from Korea. Another possibility is that the animal was carried into Japanese waters by people. The Ministry of the Environment will dispatch experts to the site to start investigating in greater detail later this month. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, 8/17/2017
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