A video of a swimming otter in the Biesbosch: news that was received enthusiastically last week by nature lovers, but here and there also with skepticism. “First see, then believe”, is the response of Biesbosch expert Marjon van Kuijk. “I do not doubt”, is the opposite reaction of naturalist Ronald van Jeveren. “This is 100% an otter in the film in question.”
Lillian Lafleur from Uden had the scoop last week. During a boat trip in the nature reserve she saw some swimming, which later turned out to be an otter. She grabbed her phone, shot a movie, and the rest is history.
“This seems like a realistic story.”
“I also looked at the images,” says retired Biesbosch forester Jacques van der Neut. “I have watched the heading in the video over and over and my judgment is that it is not impossible. It also fits with previous reports, this seems to be a realistic story.” Historian and naturalist Wim van Wijk, who has written many books about the Biesbosch, is also over. “I saw the video and this is an otter and not a beaver, as some claim.”
Marjon van Kuijk, who was awarded the Biesbosch Nature Prize earlier this year, is a bit more sceptical. “We have been expecting him for some time, but the Biesbosch is wedged between four major highways. That’s a very difficult barrier to overcome for such a beast. As long as I haven’t seen him with my own eyes, I’ll remain cautious in my response. But there have also been previous reports, so who knows.”
“Now many people are happy with the otter’s return,” says historian Van Wijk. “But there was also a time when the otter was the number one enemy of the fishermen. Expanded traps in the Biesbosch were regarded by otters as a buffet. They went in, took what they felt like and very often destroyed the trap. There was therefore plenty of otters to be hunted.”
“This is really an otter. It’s a huge ecological asset.”
“When they saw the video, there were also experts who thought it was a coypu,” says naturalist Van Jeveren. “But this is really an otter, it’s a huge ecological asset. The otter comes in an excellent area with plenty of food. Of course I hope that the otter will also show itself at one of the twelve wildlife cameras in the Biesbosch. We use these cameras to conduct research into the diversity and population of animal species in the Biesbosch.”
Bird spotter Dirk van der Made, who is out in the Biesbosch day in and day out, is also very sure of it. “This is an otter.” The bird watcher is concerned about the crowds in the nature reserve. “It is a shy animal, but people on the water sometimes even care about deposited creeks. I just saw a few young people paddle in a creek where you are not allowed. Very sorry.”
“Otter hunting was also a means of earning a living.”
Coincidence or not: the book is also recent ‘Otter and otter hunters in the Biesbosch’ reissued. “In that book”, says Wim van Wijk. “There is also a portrait of the last ottercatcher of the Biesbosch. That was Frans van der Pluijm from Hank, born in 1890 and deceased in 1978. The hunt for otters and hares, among other things, was also a form of livelihood for him. The game was sold and the proceeds were needed to support the family of 11 people.”
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