Photo: Getty Images
Some super adorable river otters have been spotted in Spring Branch, which is "fairly rare," according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials.
KSAT reported that multiple residents in Spring Branch have spotted at least one otter in a waterway. TPWD State Mammal Specialist Dana Karelus explained, "Otter sightings that far west are still fairly rare. The Spring Branch area is at about the westward front of their known historic range."
River otters used to be heavily hunted for their fir in the 19th and 20th centuries. This caused their population to decline, according to the National Wildlife Federation, along with changes in land use, destruction of wetlands, and water quality issues.
Societal efforts to improve water quality in the 1970s have helped to restore the North American river otter population.
Karelus said, "They've made such a comeback that they were removed from the Texas list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need."
Check out a super cute video of some river otters that were spotted in a Texas koi pond earlier this month below: