Srinagar, Jan. 31 -- Otters are carnivorous mammals belonging to the Mustelidae family which includes weasels, badgers, minks etc. They are one of the top predators found in river ecosystems across the country.

A recent video which went viral on social media from Gurez Valley captures three of these semi-aquatic mammals feasting on rainbow trout in the Kishanganga River.

The footage, recorded by Wajid Munawar Shangoo, a resident of Markoot, offers a rare glimpse into the species that had seemingly vanished from Kashmir's waterways.

Shangoo, recalled spotting an otter as a child in the early 2000s, but sightings have been exceptionally rare since. "This recent encounter has reignited interest in the region's fragile aquatic ecosystem an...