Wildlife enthusiast Terry Chettle captured a remarkable moment at the Grimsby Wetlands in early August while photographing a green heron. An unexpected visitor, a river otter, appeared and playfully interacted with the heron, surprising Chettle and the bird.
Chettle, a resident of Beamsville, Ont., expressed his astonishment at spotting the otter, as they are rarely seen in the area. Seizing the opportunity, he photographed the otter as it posed on a log, putting on a charming display with its tongue out and a playful gesture.
During the same outing, Bruce and Laurie Mackenzie encountered Chettle, who pointed out the rare sighting of the otter. Bruce Mackenzie acknowledged the rarity of the find, mentioning that the sighting on August 3 was possibly the first near the wetlands in recent memory. To his knowledge, there have been no further sightings of the otter since that weekend.
The Grimsby Wetlands, previously a sewage storage site for the Niagara Region, now spans approximately 12 hectares on the South Shore of Lake Ontario and is overseen by the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. Bruce Mackenzie, involved with the club as a project manager for the wetlands, highlighted the significance of the otter sighting as a positive indicator of habitat restoration and water quality. The wetlands have previously attracted sightings of rare species like least bitterns, small herons at risk in Ontario.
Laura Timms, a program manager at Credit Valley Conservation specializing in natural heritage management, emphasized the success story of river otters in conservation efforts. The Credit Valley Conservation, responsible for the Credit River watershed encompassing parts of Mississauga and Peel Region, published an article in 2025 documenting the resurgence of river otters in the region. Timms noted a visible upward trend in otter sightings, contrasting with past misconceptions of otters being mistaken for minks.
While river otter populations faced decline in the 1800s due to hunting and habitat destruction, efforts to restore degraded environments have led to a resurgence in North American populations. Timms highlighted the importance of continued conservation efforts to maintain biodiversity and protect habitats for various species to thrive, citing the need for more success stories akin to the otters in the region.