Vast networks of ravines and waterways make Toronto a surprisingly hospitable city for wildlife, and one doesn't have to search too far to catch a glimpse of natural wonder in the heart of the city.

One local wildlife photographer managed to capture some truly impressive shots of the food chain on full display on a recent visit to Toronto's High Park, photographing an otter hungrily snacking on a freshly caught fish amid the bitter January cold snap.

Photographer Henry Huy of HN Photography tells blogTO he was visiting the park on January 13 around 3 p.m., searching for known park residents, including coyotes and great horned owls, when something unexpected caught his eye.

Huy says he "spotted a moving animal in the water by the Grenadier Pond," at first believing it to be a muskrat or a beaver. He then "noticed the tail was slender, pointed and long, unlike a beaver tail, which is flat and wide," and remembered a 2022 blogTO article about an otter seen taking a swim in Lake Ontario.

Keeping his lens trained on the animal as it moved through the water, he witnessed the otter capture multiple fish and bring them back to its den. But he remained patient, braving the cold for over two hours until, finally, his lucky moment arrived.

The High Park otter is seen dragging a fish back to its den.

"The otter caught one big pumpkinseed fish and dragged it onto the frozen snow-covered ground," explained Huy. "It looked at me and I spent a few minutes looking at it in a way [as if to say] that I'm not a threat to it. The otter started eating the fish and I could hear the sound of the otter breaking the fish."

He says the animal was a mere 15 feet away during this chance encounter.

The otter feasts on a brightly-coloured pond perch as ice forms on its whiskers.

The presence of North American river otters in the city is noteworthy, as the species was extirpated from the area in the early 20th century.

There is mounting evidence, however, that otters are making a comeback in Toronto since first being spotted at the edge of the city back in 2012. In recent years, sightings of the animals — and debates over exactly which species is being spotted — have become more common.

Photographers have captured similar animals at large in other parts of the city, and Huy says that wildlife shutterbugs have had their eyes trained on High Park for possible otter sightings for some time now, but to no avail.

Huy says that, about a month earlier, "around 35 photographers and birders came to High Park and waited for hours for the otter, but it didn't show up on that day."

Based on his experience at Grenadier Pond, Huy believes that there are two aquatic critters living in the small body of water — the otter and a second smaller animal with a reddish nose; however, a wildlife expert is unsure of the second animal's species from the lone photo provided.

Nathalie Karvonen of the Toronto Wildlife Centre confirms Huy's photographs of the brown-nosed animal as an otter, though she thinks that the reddish-nosed animal photographed swimming in the pond may actually be a beaver or a muskrat.

A second aquatic mammal, possibly a beaver or muskrat, swimming in Grenadier Pond.

While there is no questioning that there is indeed an otter in High Park, Karvonen tells blogTO that "Grenadier can't really sustain otter populations permanently, but it is possible they could pass through for short times," adding that the animals have indeed "been seen there occasionally before."

Karvonen advises anyone who encounters an otter to exercise caution, saying that "otters are very beautiful, but rather ferocious if challenged or cornered."

She warns pet owners should be especially careful, saying, "I might worry more about the pets than the otters if they were in close contact. It's always best to keep pets away from wildlife for many reasons."

The public should also take care in respecting these animals' habitats, stating that "Grenadier pond, for example, has a chronic and serious problem with fishing waste. It impacts wildlife negatively on a regular basis."