A conservation group in County Wicklow, Ireland, has photographed otters on wildlife cameras after a half-decade of attempts.
According to The Irish Independent, ReWild Wicklow has collaborated with the University College Dublin Wildlife Department since 2022 to track wild animals across the region.
The group now operates 50 cameras throughout the Irish county. In late 2025, those devices recorded footage of the hard-to-find mammals at Vartry Reservoir and beside the Vartry River in Ashford.
The otter sightings weren't the only good news. The cameras also got their debut hedgehog shot in a woodland close to the town of Newtownmountkennedy.
Woodcock, a bird species in decline, showed up near the reservoir, too. Otters and hedgehogs are under pressure in other parts of Europe, and Ireland lists the woodcock as a species needing protection.
Trail cameras, like the ones ReWild Wicklow uses, give scientists a window into how animal populations are faring. These devices run day and night without disturbing the animals, capturing images that would be nearly impossible for humans to get otherwise.
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When species begin appearing on camera more frequently, it can show that conservation work is paying off. This data gets shared with a monitoring network across Europe that informs wildlife protection efforts.
Red squirrels in the area appear to be flourishing. The cameras picked up red squirrels more often than grey ones at most sites, a contrast to nearby Dublin, where greys are dominant. Pine marten numbers in the region also look to be on the rise.
"It's a wonderful coincidence and the otter is probably the largest animal we never managed to capture any images of," said Danny Alvey of ReWild Wicklow.
If you want to support wildlife in your own area, try leaving parts of your yard a bit wilder. Brush piles, native plants, and access to water can turn any outdoor space into a small refuge for local animals.
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