While otters are still very rare in Flanders, one of them seems to be enjoying itself in the municipality of Willebroek (Antwerp province).
Having already been spotted in October last year, the animal has now turned up in another, neighbouring nature reserve.
With various partners, conservation organisation WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is doing all it can to give the otters as much chance of survival as possible. Many more otters live in the Netherlands than in Belgium, but a quarter of them die in traffic.
"To prevent this as much as possible, we must put all our efforts into good connectivity between nature reserves", said Céline De Caluwé, bioengineer at WWF. This will allow the otter to move more easily and safely, both to and within Belgium.
Looking for otters. Credit: WWF
In November, a fauna passage was inaugurated in Willebroek. Near the 'Broek De Naeyer' nature reserve, the passage allows the otter to cross the road safely. That nature reserve is next to Blaasveldbroek, where the new wildlife camera footage was taken. It is possible that the otter was already using the passage.
WWF is working with local and European partners to maximise opportunities for Belgian otters in both Flanders and Wallonia, specifically in the valleys of the Scheldt and Semois rivers. That includes scientific work to learn more about otters in Belgium, through tracking, camera images and DNA analysis.
Additionally, the organisation restores former wetlands, which were drained, and riverbanks are revegetated.
At the same time, WWF identified dangerous points in traffic where it is almost impossible for otters to get through. Therefore, solutions can be worked on: reducing the speed of cars, creating tunnels under roads, or constructing artificial banks to allow passage under bridges.
To make the otter's habitat as suitable and clean as possible, there was also a school competition in Flanders in recent months. Pupils went into nature to collect rubbish along the waterfront.
