By Kurt F. de Swaaf Alena is asleep, or maybe not. "She can
probably hear us," says Susana Freire, pointing to the center of
a stack of wood. A tractor chugs past. It is not exactly quiet
here, right on the main road, but Freire still doesn't want us
to move closer: We might frighten Alena away. Alena is a
European otter and Susana Freire is a biology student at Lisbon
University. We are in Niederdorf, in the Austrian Laming Valley,
a sleepy but idyllic region. In the north the chalky peak of the
Hochschwab mountain forms a backdrop for clichéd tourist
snapshots. Since last spring, the region has also been the focus
of a unique research project. The Lutra Lutra, the European
otter, has returned to the area -- and no one knows why.
Scientists, with Alena's help, now want to get to the bottom of
the mystery. Alena, a female otter weighing in at more than
seven kilos, has been providing scientists with clues since May
when she wandered into the trap of ecologist Andreas Kranz.
Following her capture, vets implant