Recolonization of the Austrian Alps by otters: conflicts and management

Abstract

Otters were once widespread in the Austrian Alps, but their distribution and
decline were not documented properly. By the 1980s, otters were virtually extinct. It remains unclear if some of the otter signs recorded within the 1980s in the Alps originated from a relict population or were migrants from source populations in the north and east of Austria, both outside the Alps.