Tokyo: The Japanese river otter has been designated as extinct species because the semiaquatic mammals have not been cited alive for more than 30 years, according to a report released by Japan’s Environment Ministry on Wednesday.
The otter, which had been categorized as an endangered species and was last spotted in the Kochi Prefecture city of Susaki in 1979, is the first mammal the ministry has classified as extinct since 1991 when it began compiling relevant data. The otter measured about one meter long and lived on fish and shrimp.
Such animals used to live across Japan before World War II but their population declined sharply because hunters captured many of them to sell their furs and their river habitats became polluted. (PTI)
