India, Feb. 7 -- While the Line of Control (LoC) remains one of the most guarded boundaries in the world, a shy, sleek resident of the Himalayas is crossing it with ease. The Eurasian Otter, once thought to have vanished from the region, is staging a quiet comeback, with evidence suggesting it is using trans-boundary waterways to return to ancestral habitats in the Kashmir Valley.

Evidence from the Gurez Valley suggests that the Kishenganga river serves as a natural corridor for the species. Frequent sightings near Tarabal indicate that otters are swimming freely between villages in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and North Kashmir, crossing the frontier at Keran and Teetwal.

"The sightings in Gurez indicate that otters easily swim to P...