Otters Slink Back From The Brink

An otter checks out the view. Courtesy of The Wildlife Trust.

Otters have been spotted living in over 100 town and city rivers across Britain. Otter experts took part in an survey across Britain for the Wildlife Trust.

They were thrilled to see so many of the shy creatures making themselves at home so close to humans. Thirty years ago otters were almost extinct.

Dr Simon Lyster, Director General of The Wildlife Trusts said 'The recovery of the otter is the most exciting success story of the last decade'.

Life was no fun as an otter for many years. They need safe, quiet and clean riverbanks to feed, sleep and breed. When farmers and builders began to drain land very close to streams and rivers, otters had nowhere to go.

Farms used to use poisonous chemicals to control pests. These chemicals leaked into rivers and poisoned eels. Otters love to eat eels, so were slowly poisoned in turn.

Believe it or not, otters were hunted as a sport once upon a time. Luckily for otters this was stopped in 1978 and is now against the law.

Can you spot this otter's cheeky face?
Photo © Derek Moore.

The fact that otters are making their way back into our rivers shows that it is possible to help animals that are close to extinction.

Organisations such as the Wildlife Trust work with farmers, builders and councils to try to keep otters and their habitats safe.

If you'd like to find out more about otters, there are lots of ways to do it.

Join the Wildlife Watch to help other creatures make a comeback otter-style!
The link is below.

One of Britain's most famous otters is Tarka, star of a beautiful story by Henry Williamson. The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon has a special room devoted to Tarka, which is well worth a visit.

If you're lucky enough to live close to Shetland you could visit Bayanne House Museum on the Shetland Isle of Yell. As well as discovering the island's history you may also see otters playing on the shoreline.

The Really Wild section of the CBBC website has a page on otters, click on this link to check it out.

If you're under sixteen you could join Wildlife Watch, the junior section of The Wildlife Trust. Click on this link to visit the Wildlife Watch website. The club has 20,000 members across Britain, with lots of local branches.

Lastly, keep an eye out for an otter in a river near you. They love to play on the riverside but they're quick and try to stay away from people, so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled.