A pair of otters were recorded bathing in the Fonce river, in Santander

An unusual appearance at Parque el Gallineral in San Gil, Santander, touched social media in recent hours. This is a pair of otters that were caught bathing and playing in the waters of the Fonce River.

The sighting, which had not occurred for two years, was recorded by Augusto Vargas, a resident of San Gil who was taking a walk in El Gallineral Park, when he witnessed the species peacefully enjoying the waters of the river. Vargas captured the encounter on video and quickly went viral on social media.

In the audiovisual piece mammals are seen swimming and resting on the rocks of the tributary, taking advantage of the absence of tourists in the place.

According to the Santander Regional Autonomous Corporation (CAS), there has been no record of this species in the waters of the Fonce river since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. At that time, otters had been caught on the banks of the tributary.

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For its part, the CAS indicated that the sighting of this species in the Fonce River would be a positive indicator of the repopulation of these mammals in the municipality of San Gil.

“It is a species of vital importance for the ecosystem balance of two major water sources in the department of Santander, such as the Fonce and Suárez rivers,” said the Santander Regional Autonomous Corporation.

According to the environmental entity, the species can not only be seen in the Fonce River, but also in the Suarez River, and in three other municipalities in the territory such as the National Bridge, Barbosa and Güepsa.

After the sighting, the environmental authorities of Santander called on the population so that, if they observe this species in their natural habitat, they do not attack them or try to take them away to domesticate them.

Here are the images of the otter sighting in San Gil:

From this Sunday the 10th to the next Sunday, April 17, Colombia will go through one of the most important holiday seasons in the country: Easter Week. For this reason, National Parks launched the campaign “One Use, Many Damages”, in order to raise awareness among travelers of the impact that single-use plastics generate on the flora and fauna of the country's protected areas.

According to Parques, figures from the National Planning Department (DNP) indicate that 8% of solid waste emitted by coastal municipalities in the country ends up in natural water bodies, which subsequently accumulate “in beaches, mangroves and seabeds affecting ecosystems. ”

“The effects of plastic affect the existence of thousands of species of fauna and flora, the natural and cultural heritage of our country. Turtles, fish and other marine species today suffer from ingestion, entanglement and suffocation from cigarettes, bags and plastic nets,” said the entity.

Faced with this scenario, and in order to prevent the country's 21 national parks and other ecosystems from being affected by single-use plastics, the entity called on travelers not to use or transport single-use plastic elements during their passage through these areas of the country.

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