Otter Spotted in Stewart Park Duck Pond

A river otter was spotted swimming around in the Stewart Park Duck Pond in Roseburg late this afternoon. At one point it was seen laying completely out of the water on the island in the middle of the pond which the turtles normally reside. It then swam all over the south end of the primary pond. Many of the ducks and birds got out of the water and looked on with concern. No nutria could be seen anywhere in the pond which is very unusual. It is much more common for the river otters to be be seen in the North and South Umpqua rivers. However, otters can also be found in ponds or marshes and can make extensive overland excursions to move from one habitat to another. This otter most assuredly came from the South Umpqua river, up Newton Creek through the Hucrest neighborhood and over land in a few spots to get into the pond. It is a very rare sighting in the Duck Pond, according to Dave Loomis, former ODFW biologist. "Otters eat a variety of aquatic wildlife, such as fish, crayfish, crabs, frogs, birds eggs, birds and reptiles such as turtles." Loomis said. "They have also been known to eat aquatic plants and to prey on other small mammals, such as muskrats or rabbits. They have a very high metabolism, so they need to eat frequently." "I have heard of otters in Newton Creek and they do move across land to get to other water bodies." said Loomis. It was a special sighting for my son Abraham who first spotted the otter on the dock in the middle of the pond. Abraham said he hopes the otter stays around for a while.