Otter watch keeps eye on urban rivers

More than 100 researchers, conservationists, nature enthusiasts and members of the public gathered at the Dujiangyan campus of Sichuan Agricultural University on May 23 for the inaugural Otter Forum.

It included a seminar and two round-table discussions in the morning, tours of otter habitats on the surrounding campus in the afternoon and a full-day exhibition on otters living in urban areas.

The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), often referred to as the Old World otter, is a second-class protected species in China and is listed as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The forum marked the culmination of the first-ever Chengdu Otter Observation Week. Coinciding with World Otter Day on May 27, it was a weeklong celebration of public science that highlighted the importance of urban biodiversity, promoted the potential of ecotourism, and sought to aid the survival of otters.

"Sichuan Agricultural University is currently the only known university in China with a stable presence of Eurasian otters," said Hu Min, one of the founders of Follow the River, a Chengdu-based social enterprise dedicated to river ecosystem conservation. Hu's organization initiated and organized the otter observation week and the forum.

Few people in China have seen them in the wild. Hu and her colleagues were drawn to this elusive animal after discovering that the natural predators were quietly returning to Chengdu, a metropolis with over 20 million residents.

"The campus's drainage channels and artificial ponds provide space for a few otters to move, feed and rest," Hu told China Daily.

"Our Chengdu Otter Watch project team has been monitoring otters in and around the Dujiangyan campus since November 2025, observing and documenting their lives in the urban area," Hu said. "Our otter week aims to unveil the hidden lives of otters in our midst. So the campus is a perfect venue for the forum."