The goal of
the New York State River Otter Project was to reintroduce river otters from the
Adirondack Region into the Genesee River and Finger Lakes
where they once existed. In collaboration with Cornell
University's College of Veterinary
Medicine, the Zoo evaluated the health,
micro-chipped and in some cases, surgically implanted telemetry tracking devices
in the otters, prior to their release. Within one year, 278 otters were welcomed
back to the waterways of the Finger Lakes Region. Follow up tracking and monitoring studies
have demonstrated that the reintroduced otters are now raising families and
thriving in Western New York with many sightings in Honeoye
Lake, the Genesee River
and Black Creek.
For more
information on the River Otter Project or to report an otter sighting please
click here.