[private]Otter which was known to be extinct from the face of globe was seen in Borneo Island. This one was the Asia’s rarest and the photograph was captured by a remote camera which was planted by scientist in a forest reserve. A rare hairy – nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) was photographed in Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah, which is situated in Malaysia.

The name is assigned to him because it possesses hairs at the end of his nose. It has a whitish chin, a flat tail and brown fur. Its population has declined mainly because of hunting for its meat and fur. The loss of habitat is also one of the major reasons for an extinction of the animal.The photograph was taken in 2008 but, it took two years for scientist to study before they confirmed that it was indeed the hairy-nosed otter. This was disclosed by Laurentius Ambu, Director of the Sabah Wildlife Department.

The photograph was reviewed by Researchers from the wildlife department, Sabah’s Forest Department and Germany-based Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. It was once believed to be extinct from Malaysia and threatened elsewhere.

Ambu said sighting in Cambodia and Vietnam several years ago have raised a great hope for its survival. He further added, “This is historic finding. We know this species is very rare, but we don’t know how rare”.

In Borneo in 1997 the otter was lost spotted, here it was found dead on a road in the sultanate of Brunei. Ambu said, for more than 100 years the species has not been seen in Malaysia. Sabah state of Malaysia is the home for endangered animals including orangutan, Sumatran rhinoceros and pygmy elephant. Because of illegal poaching and the loss of jungles cut down for timber and development wildlife activist say their numbers have dwindled in recent decades.[/private]