Twenty-Seven Otters, Including Five Families, Now Live in Seoul’s Han River

Twenty-seven endangered otters, grouped into five families, are living along Seoul’s Han River, according to genetic analysis by South Korea’s National Institute of Biological Resources.

Researchers analysed 106 otter fecal samples collected from 27 locations between Gayang Bridge and Godeok Bridge from January through April. They identified 21 otters in the river’s main channel and six in tributaries. The population included 16 females and 11 males, and all 27 animals showed family relationships, including sibling and parent-offspring links.

The families were concentrated mainly in the eastern part of the Han River. Seongnaecheon had the largest number, with five otters. Four were identified near Hangang Bridge, while Yangjaecheon, Jamsildaegyo and Jungnangcheon each had three.

Otter habitat along the Han River contracted sharply during concrete channelisation projects in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the 2000s, efforts to restore the river’s natural character have expanded riverside ecological areas. Otters were first seen in the Tancheon area in 2016, and four were confirmed there in 2017. They have since spread through the main river toward western Seoul and into tributaries including Jungnangcheon to the north and Anyangcheon to the south.

The survey forms part of a wildlife assessment programme launched in 2007. It aims to track changes in the urban otter population, assess its genetic health and develop systematic conservation measures. National Institute of Biological Resources President Yoo Ho called the continued increase "a positive signal that the Han River ecosystem is recovering" and said the institute would continue scientific research and conservation management so people and urban wildlife can live together in a healthy environment.

“

A positive signal that the Han River ecosystem is recovering