A Reddit post has generated a ton of discussion after a user spotted some surprising wildlife, a river otter, at Tommy Thompson Park last week.
“Went to Tommy Thompson to look for owls. Found none, but saw these instead,” Reddit user szthesquid, a Toronto-based author, wrote in a post on the r/toronto sub-Reddit on Friday. The post is accompanied by a video of what appears to be two cute river otters bobbing their heads in and out of the water.
Went to Tommy Thompson to look for owls. Found none, but saw these instead!
byu/szthesquid intoronto
According to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, River Otters are a rare species within the Toronto region, and they need lakes and other waterbodies with high-quality, clean water. These playful aquatic animals — known for their webbed feet and long tails that help propel them through the water — were previously thought to have been locally extinct in the Toronto area due to river and waterway pollution, commercial fur trappings and loss of forest habitat. The High Park Nature Centre notes that, by the beginning of the 20th century, river otters disappeared from Toronto’s regional landscape — but they’re making a comeback.
Reports of river otter sightings in Toronto started popping up in 2012 (literally, a century after they vanished from the area) — perhaps a sign that habitat protection and regeneration efforts are working in the city? As the years went on, more otter sightings were spotted along the waterfront, at Tommy Thompson Park and even in High Park.
“The return of the river otter is a symbol of hope for the ecological health of our wetlands. This is proof that not all hope is lost when it comes to protecting wetland habitats and the incredible biodiversity they support. It is testament to the gradual improvements made to restore the city’s wetland ecosystems,” the High Park Nature Centre said in a recent Instagram post.
As for szthesquid, the Toronto author has only been to Tommy Thompson Park a few times since 2024, but has always managed to see some cool sightings! The park’s diverse biological communities make it a perfect place to spot tons of wildlife, including birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and more.
“On the same day I also saw over a dozen cool duck species, a Cooper’s hawk, two beavers, a muskrat, a mink, two deer, a raccoon, and a shocking number of woodcocks (PEENT) after sunset” szthesquid commented under the post.
The post also led to suggestions on where to find other wildlife in the city.
“If you go to Serena Gundy when it’s quiet (weekday mornings usually) then you might spot the resident beavers! Also some interesting bats around sunset” one Reddit user noted, referring to Serena Gundy Park (58 Rykert Crescent) in East York.
