During a tiger survey at a wildlife sanctuary in India, conservationists noticed a “large-sized” mammal. The brief glimpse intrigued them and led them to set up more trail cameras for a better look at the “smooth-coated” animal.

The resulting photos were a first-of-their-kind record for the site.

A team of researchers was setting up trail cameras at Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary in March 2024 to help estimate the “tiger density” when they “saw an otter,” according to a study published Aug. 26 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Threatened Taxa.

“Little is known about otter distribution in Uttarakhand,” the surrounding state, researchers said. The wildlife sanctuary had “suitable habitat for otters,” but no one had seen them in the area.

In hopes of getting more information, researchers set up five trail cameras at the sanctuary in May 2024 and picked camera locations “based on the presence of otter signs, such as tracks or scat,” the study said.

The 10-day-long survey worked: The trail cameras photographed the sanctuary’s first confirmed sighting of smooth-coated otters.

Two photos, taken May 16, show a gathering of four smooth-coated otters. The animals appear to be looking and moving around a waterfront.

A second set of photos, taken May 21, showed two otters walking in between some large boulders.

Smooth-coated otters are a “large-sized” otter species weighing up to about 24 pounds, the study said. The species is considered vulnerable and given “highest level of protection in India.”

Smooth-coated otters typically “form large, vocal, family groups, preying together on fish, shrimps, frogs, crabs, insects, (and) birds,” according to the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. The species is threatened by “poaching, habitat loss, accidental trapping, pet trade, (and) pollution.”

Researchers suggested that future conservation efforts at Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary take into consideration the presence of these at-risk otters.

“It is imperative to conduct systematic surveys for otters in (the) Nandhaur landscape to determine their population and distribution patterns, thus ensuring their long-term survival,” the study said.

Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary is in Uttarakhand, a state of northern India bordering Nepal and Tibet.

The research team included Nishant Bhardwaj, Hritik Nautiyal, Harish Guleria and Bilal Habib.

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