'Really exciting' year for otter sightings

A wildlife trust in Nottinghamshire said it was having a "really exciting" year of otter sightings in Nottinghamshire as the animals continue their recovery.

Otters had been classed as extinct in the county in the 1970s, but now a family is believed to have been spotted at Attenborough Nature Reserve.

It comes 25 years after the Rivers and Otters Project saw wildlife trusts around the country work with water companies to expand habitats.

Erin McDaid, from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, said otters were "absolutely integral" to the local ecosystem.

A social media post about an otter caught in a sunset dip at Attenborough Nature Reserve attracted thousands of comments last week, while last year rare footage of one eating a crayfish also earned attention.

Mr McDaid said it represented strong progress from the turn of the millennium.

"This year it's got really exciting because we've had a number of sightings, some great photographic and video evidence, and also multiple sightings of a number of otters, what we actually think are records of an otter family," he said.

"From being a rare and elusive animal that you might have to travel to perhaps the west coast of Scotland to see, the fact that people can actually see them just a few hundred yards from the car park at Attenborough on a fairly frequent basis is just so exciting.

"It's such good news that we can bring wildlife back, with the effort and the investment."

Mr McDaid said otters played a key role in nature, and helped to provide an important reflection of river health.

"They're absolutely integral - they're the top predator," he said.

"The fact we have otters back on all those river systems means those rivers, in many respects, are healthy.

"I know there are real concerns obviously around water quality issues, and things like sewage pollution and agricultural pollution, which are a concern, but overall the fact that we have otters back suggests that there is healthy numbers of fish stocks, for example.

"Over the years we've actually lost, as a society, our connection with nature, and people perhaps don't always understand the role that these top predators play in a healthy ecosystem."

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