Endangered otter pup found in farmer's storage facility amid downpours

Amid the heavy rain, an endangered baby Eurasian river otter escaped into a farmer's private storage facility in Seongdong-ri, Muan-eup in South Jeolla Province on Sunday.

The property is located about 400 meters away from the Muan Stream, a branch of the Yeongsan River.

“A wet otter was shivering in a bin placed there for onions,” said the farmer who first discovered the pup.

“The otter living in the Yeongsan River seems to have come in after moving along the Muan Stream and waterways,” he added.

The farmer plans to hand the pup over to the Jeonnam Wildlife Center.

River otters have been found in urban areas of Muan-eup in the past, with a family of otters having been spotted in a stream running through a residential district in 2021.

Jeonnam Development Corporation staff caught on video the scene of five otters in a group, apparently both parent otters and their pups.

River otters had been frequently seen by local residents until recently.

The Eurasian river otter is named as a first grade endangered wildlife species and national treasure No. 330. It is known to live only in fresh water of grade 2 quality -- with 1-3 parts per million, suitable for drinking after treatment and swimming -- or higher.