Two biologists were taken hostage for about 15 hours by a man and his son in a remote part of Shasta-Trinity national forest

ALT: a picture of a whale in the ocean with the words bbc america rica on the bottom

Alt: a gnome with a red hat is knitting a red heart of yarn

Alt: a penguin is holding a brush in front of a painting eisel

Alt: a man kneeling down with the words thank you so much

Alt: a close up of an otter yawning with its mouth open

In North America’s Great Lakes region, river otters are coming back from the brink thanks to decades of effort on both sides of the border.