On March 3, 2022, we celebrate World Wildlife Day with the aim of conveying an important message about the importance of healthy ecosystems and the restoration of biodiversity, which seeks to change the fate of the most endangered species. One of them is the otter, which is an important indicator of healthy natural water and wetland habitats such as the floodplain of the Kopački rit Nature Park.
The otter (Lutra lutra L.) is a beast from the marten family adapted to life in freshwater and is a strictly protected species in the Republic of Croatia. The highest quality otter habitat is a clean watercourse, rich in coastal vegetation, but due to water pollution, destruction of natural habitats, but also illegal hunting, in most European countries in the middle of the 20th century it was brought to the brink of extinction. Today, the condition of the otter population is much more favorable. Little is known about the causes of otter endangerment in Croatia, as the species is poorly studied. On this occasion, in order to obtain data on the state of this wild species and the quality of its habitat, in the area of the Kopački rit Nature Park, otter monitoring is carried out within the activities of the Naturavita project.
