when did the japanese river otter become extinct
August 28, 2012
title: Japanese river otter text: Japanese river otter The is an extinct variety of otter formerly widespread in Japan. Dating back to the 1880s, it was even seen in Tokyo. The population suddenly shrank in the 1930s, and the mammal nearly vanished. Since then, it has only been spotted several times, in 1964 in the Seto Inland Sea, and in the Uwa Sea in 1972 and 1973. The last official sighting was in the southern part of Kōchi Prefecture in 1979, when it was photographed in the mouth of the Shinjo River in Susaki. It was subsequently classified as a "Critically Endangered" species on the title: Japanese river otter text: the "Hunters Association" which called upon people to hunt and skin these otters, which was one of the main causes of their eventual extinction. The Japanese river otter was named the official animal symbol of Japan's Ehime Prefecture, a region of Japan in northwestern Shikoku. Japanese river otter The is an extinct variety of otter formerly widespread in Japan. Dating back to the 1880s, it was even seen in Tokyo. The population suddenly shrank in the 1930s, and the mammal nearly vanished. Since then, it has only been spotted several times, in 1964 in the Seto Inland Sea, and in title: Japanese river otter text: Japanese Red List. On August 28, 2012, the Japanese river otter was officially declared extinct by the Ministry of the Environment. It is the official animal symbol of Ehime Prefecture. In February 2017, a wild otter was caught on camera on Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture. However, it is not known whether the observed otter was a Japanese river otter. Several genetic studies have suggested that the Japanese river otter should be treated as a distinct species "Lutra nippon" rather than a subspecies of "Lutra lutra". However, this reclassification is not yet generally accepted in the absence of further verification. Fully title: Japanese river otter text: they could be exported for money. As a result, Japanese river otters started to be hunted throughout the country. Their numbers soon dwindled. Populations made a slight comeback after the creation of hunting regulations. Even so, pollution and human development then harmed their environment and resources to build their habitats. This pollution terminated their food sources in the rivers, causing them to hunt in more dangerous settings. These causes grew rapidly, resulting in the extinction of the Japanese river otter in the late 20th century. Throughout the 1990s, there were several attempts to locate a surviving Japanese river otter. In title: Japanese river otter text: past. Such areas included coastal areas in Susaki, areas along the Niyodo River running through Sakawacho and Inocho, and coastal areas along Shimanto River. No evidence of the animal's existence was found. Among these, the presumed sighting reported in Kochi by a local artist with a detailed sketch was regarded "highly trustable" by Yoshihiko Machida, an emeritus professor at the Kōchi University in 2009. Dr. Machida also pointed that the previous studies by the prefecture had been restricted only among coastal areas and thus not filling the definition of extinct species by IUCN. Regarding this, a survey was conducted by