Animal Protection

[Anchor Lead]

An orphaned baby otter found dehydrated in a Gangwon-do mountain returned to the wild about a year after its rescue. The otter was able to regain its health with the help from the nation's only otter protection agency.

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The ends of Soraksan Mountain and Soyangho Lake meet at this valley. A male otter, over a meter long, cautiously peek out of the cage. He appears to hesitate a little before jumping into the water. He swims easily against the current to enjoy his freedom. The otter was found about 14 months ago exhausted and dehydrated in a valley after losing his parents.

[Soundbite] Sohn Jang-ik(Species Restoration Technology Institute, Korea Nat'l Park Service) : "It was weak and starving and dehydrated. Its teeth weren't that long."

This otter was cared for at the Korean Otter Research Center, the nation's only otter protection agency. There are sixteen more otters left at the center waiting to be released into the wild, but some may have to live out their lives at the center, as their wild habitats continue to shrink.

[Soundbite] Han Sung-yong(Dir. Korean Otter Research Center) : "Development projects should include habitats for otters. We need such wisdom of coexistence."

Otters are a critically endangered species that plays a pivotal role in maintaining the food chain in the aquatic ecosystem. Experts advise that Korea should learn a lesson from Japan, where otters have already gone extinct, and care more for these creatures.