'Extremely rare' otter surfaces in Malaysia for the first time in 11 years

'Extremely rare' otter surfaces in Malaysia for the first time in 11 years

'Extremely rare' otter surfaces in Malaysia for the first time in 11 years Recently, the big cat conservation organization Panthera strategically placed hidden trail cameras throughout Tangkulap Forest Reserve in Malaysia.  Their goal: capture the elusive, and endangered, flat-headed cat on camera. Instead, they found stunning proof that the Eurasian otter — long thought eradicated in the region — was alive and well.  It marked the first sighting of the species in 11 years.  “This remarkable sighting was actually an unexpected discovery made during a survey conducted by Panthera,” Thye Lim Tee, the project coordinator for Panthera Malaysia, said in a press release. “Remote-sensing cameras, often called camera traps, were strategically placed,” Lim said, “and during this survey, they captured the first photographic evidence of the Eurasian otter in Malaysia since 2014.” “This shows how dedicated research, even when targeting one species, can lead to groundbreaking findings about the b…