Rare Otter Sighting

[Anchor Lead]

An otter was captured by a KBS camera sneaking into a seaside town in the clean southern coastal region of South Korea. We bring you a rare, up-close look at the endangered animal in this story.

[Pkg]

At night, as the seafood restaurants begin to close, an otter, which is designated a class-one endangered species, appears in a stream next to a beach. With deft movements, the otter begins to eat fish laid out by the stream. The otter doesn't appear to be vigilant, despite its close proximity to people in a ten-meter-wide stream. At times, two otters appear together, playing with each other and showing off their swimming skills once they have eaten their fill.

[Soundbite] Kwak Yoo-jin(Namhae Resident) : "It's my first time seeing an otter. I had only seen them in books. It was amazing. I saw it eat fish. It is really cute."

The otters have adjusted so completely to this region that they are even involved in turf wars with stray cats. First noticed two to three years ago, they have been showing up nearly every day since last year. It's thanks to the class-one waters of the stream, which is pristine enough for sweetfish to live in, as well as the ample food from a host of seafood restaurants.

[Soundbite] Jang Seong-rae(National Park Volunteer) : "They can be seen here after 7 p.m. every day throughout the year. This is probably the only place in the country where otters can be observed from such a close distance."

The appearance of otters at this oceanside village is becoming a tourist attraction, generating interest among both locals and visitors.