Starting this fall, Indiana will have a limited river otter trapping season after action this week by the Indiana Natural Resources Commission. In the early 20th century river otters were near extension in Indiana due to a loss of habitat and unregulated trapping. In 1921 the state Department of Conservation banned their taking. They were believed gone from the state by the 1940s.

The DNR began reintroducing otters to state waterways in 1995. Over a five-year period, 303 river otters were captured in Louisiana and released in northern and southern Indiana. Their populations increased enough through natural reproduction that river otters were removed from the state endangered species list in 2005. Presently, river otters have expanded their range to include over 80 percent of Indiana’s counties and their numbers continue to increase. Continue reading →