Lutra lutra

Conservation status (CH) 
Critically endangered

From 1989, the Eurasian otter was believed to be extinct in Switzerland. Twenty years later, the first returning specimen was sighted, and since then small populations have become established in a few regions. Eurasian otters were long hunted as “pests” and also fell victim to certain pesticides which are now banned. In addition, like many other species of wildlife, they were deprived of food resources: the Eurasian otter hunts fish, which are widely threatened in Switzerland, among other things, as a result of manmade structures on rivers and banks. Concrete-lined channels and embankments provide insufficient food and shelter for many aquatic organisms — from insect larvae to fish.