Wildlife enthusiast Terry Chettle was capturing images of a green heron at the Grimsby Wetlands in early August when he encountered an unexpected visitor that caught both him and the bird off guard.
Chettle, a resident of Beamsville, Ontario, expressed his surprise at the sudden appearance of a river otter, a rare sight in the area. As the otter moved to a log and began grooming itself, Chettle seized the opportunity to photograph the playful creature.
Describing the encounter, Chettle shared, “It put on a show for me, kind of gave me the tongue out and the wave.” On the same day, Bruce and Laurie Mackenzie, who were exploring the wetland, were introduced to the otter by Chettle.
Bruce Mackenzie acknowledged the rarity of the sighting, mentioning that as far as he knows, the August 3rd sighting marked the first occurrence near the wetlands in recent memory. He added that there have been no reports of the otter sightings since that weekend.
The Grimsby Wetlands, previously a site for sewage storage by the Niagara Region, is now managed by the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, covering approximately 12 hectares along Lake Ontario’s South Shore. Mackenzie, involved with the naturalists club as the project manager for the wetlands, highlighted the significance of the otter sighting in relation to habitat restoration and water quality.
Notably, the wetlands have been known to attract rare species, such as the threatened least bitterns in Ontario. Mackenzie emphasized the positive implications of these sightings, indicating successful habitat restoration efforts and improved water quality.
River otters have become a conservation success story, as Laura Timms, a program manager in natural heritage management at Credit Valley Conservation, pointed out. The conservation authority, overseeing the Credit River watershed, published an article in 2025 detailing the resurgence of river otters in the region.
Timms observed an upward trend in otter sightings, indicating a significant improvement in their population. She highlighted the shift from past assumptions of mistaken otter reports to more frequent and documented sightings, including instances of otters giving birth at conservation areas.
While the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority mentioned its lack of wildlife monitoring, the Hamilton Conservation Authority did not provide a response on otter populations. Timms explained that river otter populations had declined in the 1800s due to various factors but have since rebounded in North America, showcasing the positive outcomes of environmental restoration efforts.
Moving forward, Timms stressed the importance of continuing efforts to improve biodiversity by restoring and safeguarding habitats to support the thriving of all species, aiming to replicate the conservation success stories witnessed with the resurgence of otters.