Wildlife photographers Mohan Bhaskar and Sharma BC, during a routine bird-watching session at Dodda Kere Lake in Anekal, were stunned to spot an otter swimming out of the lake around 5:30 am. “We were photographing birds when we saw the otter emerge from the lake. It’s a wonder how it came into the lake,” said Bhaskar.

This rare sighting has attracted the attention of forest department officials, who are now planning to visit the area to search for other otters and document their presence. According to officials, this is the first otter sighting in the lake in the past 20-30 years. While otters are known to inhabit water bodies in the city outskirts, their appearance in Dodda Kere is unusual, as the lake is not connected to any natural water source. The lake receives treated water from the Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley via a pipe, leading officials to wonder if the otter entered through the pipe, though its size makes that uncertain.

Despite the otter’s presence in the Cauvery river basin, spotting one in a lake like Dodda Kere in Anekal is considered a surprising and noteworthy event.

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