Caught on CCTV: Culprit who stole 39 goldfish from garden pond is unmasked as an OTTER

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The otter runs around the pond, which is firmly covered with the plastic net, looking for a way in

A retired couple who set up CCTV cameras in their garden to catch the mystery predator which was eating their goldfish finally discovered it was a hungry otter.

Pensioners Elizabeth and Harry McDougall were devestated to find their collection of 27 goldfish, in two ponds in their garden in Carlisle, had been wiped out.

All that remained after the night-time attack were fins and scraps of skin.


Sneak thief: The hungry otter, below right, appears by the side of the pond and first sees the plastic mesh

The couple restocked the ponds and fitted a strong plastic mesh, installing CCTV to try to find the culprit.

Three weeks later, the predator struck again, killing all 12 of Mrs McDougall's new fish.

This time the CCTV recorded the incident on camera and now the couple have released the footage to show the thief at work.




source: dailymail

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Otter-ly adorable! Furry family of three look like they are having fun in the sun... while it lasts

By INDERDEEP BAINS

Give me a kiss! This family of three otters share an intimate moment as they bask in the sun after tucking into dinner

After a slap-up fish lunch, with the prospect of a nice snooze in the sun, the baby otter was no doubt thinking that life doesn’t get much better.

Then a double hug from its mother and father proved him wrong.

Geography student Ben Marshall, 18, captured the touching moment while on a visit to the Marwell Wildlife park in Winchester, Hampshire.

He had glimpsed the otter family through a gap in the brick wall of their enclosure but could not see enough to take a photograph.

Otters are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment.

The newborn pup is taken care of by the mother, the father, and all the other offspring.

Female otters reach sexual maturity at approximately two years of age, while males can produce offspring at approximately three years of age.

After one month, the young otter can come out of the cave, and after two months, it is able to swim. It lives with its family for about one year so that it can learn and be kept safe until maturity. Otters live up to 16 years.

Different species vary in their social structure, with some being largely solitary, while others live in groups – in a few species these groups may be fairly large.

source: dailymail

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Experts are foxed as first ever footage of urban OTTER making its home in city dock emerges

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Conservation officers in Bristol first became aware of the otters after finding droppings by the city's floating harbour

Conservationists have captured this amazing footage of a new breed of 'urban' otter which is shunning the countryside in favour of city centres.

Researchers have discovered that the usually-reclusive water creature - immortalised in Kenneth Grahame's Wind In the Willows - are encroaching into cities.

They set up hidden cameras and captured an urban otter making a home by a floating dock in the heart of Bristol city centre - just yards from a shopping mall.


Researchers believe greater access to food is one of the main reasons for the change - just like the growth of the urban fox


The footage - the first to ever show otters in a city centre - has stunned experts who had previously believed the furry creatures were too timid to venture out of the countryside.

They believe greater access to food is one of the main reasons for the change - just like the growth of the urban fox.

Phil Quinn, an ecologist who launched the study, said: 'It is just extraordinary. They are a very thriving population.


The footage - the first to ever show otters in a city centre - has stunned experts who had previously believed otters were too timid to venture out of the countryside


'There have been reports of otters in smaller cities but never in a city centre like this.

'Most ecologists working with otters would look at this situation and say - no chance.

'We were not even thinking of otters and then we just found the evidence - which is their droppings. They are very distinctive looking and very distinctive smelling things.

source: dailymail

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Otter-ly adorable! Boy racing sea otter at San Diego Zoo is an internet sensation

By JENNIFER MADISON

New pals: A toddler has become an instant internet sensation after a video of the boy racing a sea otter went viral


You could say they got on swimmingly.

A toddler has become an instant internet sensation after a video of the boy racing a sea otter went viral.

The video of the boy playing chase with a sea otter at the San Diego Zoo has scored over 1million hits in less than one week's time.

The video - the only uploaded by YouTube user mmoyerssd1 - was posted last Sunday and quickly caught the attention of animal fans around the world.

It shows a blond little boy running back and forth alongside the California zoo's sea otter tank, side-by-side with his new pal.



Somersaults in the sun: The otter, feeling quite social, playfully follows his every move even as the boy tries to trick his new mate


The otter, feeling quite social, playfully follows his every move even as the boy tries to trick his new mate.

The marine mammal is seen doing an underwater somersault in a bid to catch up and give chase in the opposite direction.

The boy giggles in response, running back and forth as passers-by laugh in delight.


San Diego Zoo: One of the largest in the world with with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species, it is known for its many friendly characters


The zoo - one of the largest in the world with with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species - has become widely-known for its many friendly characters.

In March, a playful young panda bear named Su Lin grabbed headlines after cameras caught her having a roll in the snow and sticking her tongue out at spectators.

And last year Otis the hippo became a sensation after beaming a smile for visitors' photos as they posed next to his tank.


Playing with an Otter-1


source: dailymail

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Hold tight mum, I'm just drifting off: The otterly adorable dozing otters!

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Fast asleep: In this tender picture the pup looks utterly content as he floats along on his mother's belly


There's nothing like a little snooze after you've had your lunchtime feed, but maybe this wasn't the perfect moment for junior to drop off.

His mother - a rare white otter - ended up having to balance her four-month-old babe on her belly after he nodded off during suckling in the water.

In the end, she carefully rolled the sleepy boy into the river where he continued to doze afloat on his back.


Clinging on: Just like a human baby, the whelp enjoyed suckling his mother's milk before eventually dropping off


Retired marine biology teacher Brian Maxwell, 69, captured the Intimate moments in and estuary in Moss Landing, California.

He said: 'It was just amazing that the son was content to just fall asleep anywhere.
'They were really sweet and after a while the mother got hungry and rolled her son into the water so she could dive for clams.'

However, her efforts were interrupted when her youngster was taken away by the current and she had to keep breaking away from her fishing to tow her son back to safety.

Father-of-three Mr Maxwell, from Alaska, America, said: 'We were on a pleasure cruise when this really pretty mother popped up with her son.


When the pup eventually dozed off his mother got on with some fishing, returning every now and then to check that her baby hadn't floated away


'She was grooming him and he was suckling and eventually he just nodded off. It was quite cold so he stayed on her stomach to keep warm.

'Her son remained asleep on his back while she went below the water's surface and came up with a clam that she would open and eat.'

'However, in between her food runs she would have to grab her son and tow him back to safety because the current was pretty strong and kept taking him away.

'The mother didn't mind us coming up quite close and she was there for about half an hour.'

Brian added: 'To spot a white otter is very rare so the incredible moment was made that bit more unique.

'In the end, the mum got about 12 clams and my friend and I were just relieved she was able to catch up with her baby before he strayed too far in the water.'

source: dailymail

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Giant River Otter pups

In this photo provided by Zoo Miami, a litter of two Giant River Otter pups are held during their neonatal exam on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at Zoo Miami in Miami, Fla.


The male, left, and female pups were born at the zoo on Jan. 31, 2011, and are expected to open their eyes within the next week and begin to learn how to swim.


source: Daylife
photo: AP photo

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Get your skates on, kids, it's breakfast time!: How a family of Somerset otters went dancing on ice

By PAUL HARRIS

Snouting about: It appeared to be a perfect morning for the otters to undertake a spot of fishing - but they had to overcome one small problem first


They say we’re heading for the coldest winter in decades. Thermometers are set to plunge to record lows and snow, ice and misery are on the way.

But down by the water in Somerset, if you’ll pardon the pun, everything seems to be a little ‘otter’.

Dancing on ice, this family of charismatic predators sees no ­reason to be deterred by the big freeze. So it’s on with the fur coats, and down into the cold water.

Taking a lead from their Polar-dwelling ­mammal cousins the seals, these otters cracked a hole in the thinnest section of ice this week and went hunting for a snack from nature’s freezer.

One emerged a little later with a handsome perch that must have imagined it was perfectly safe to swim in open waters when there was a 2in thick roof over its head.

The family, probably a bitch and her three cubs, were messing about on the Somerset Levels, a wetland area in the middle of the county. Dad, it appears, was dog tired at home on the couch (another name for the holt that otters build in the riverbank).


Ice skating: Perhaps not realising how cold the ground was, one fleet-footed otter skips across the river, eyes wide looking for a thin ice spot to break


Follow me: Sitting at the ice's edge, the otter gestures to her family to join her on the ice from the comfort of their holt in the riverbank reeds


Lynne Newton, who took the pictures, said: ‘I saw something on the ice and I thought it was a mink.

'As I got closer I heard the ice cracking. Then I saw it was an otter . . . and another, and another, and another.

‘I stood watching for about 20 minutes. I could see them cracking the ice, swimming underneath it and catching the fish.’


Fishing trip: Following their mother's lead the three cubs join her on the icy water as they look for a good place to set up camp to hunt for food


The Eurasian species (Lutra lutra) is native to the UK, but was threatened with extinction two decades ago. A recolonisation plan was put into action, and now their presence is a sure indication of clean water.

In Somerset, 83 per cent of casualties are caused not by chemicals, sewage or the stripping of river vegetation, but when otters try to cross the road. The fact that this is where most people encounter otters makes the sighting of four of them skating especially unusual.


Breakfast is served: Having jabbed through the thin ice with a paw, this otter tucks into a tasty treat - but there didn't appear to be any second helpings


But by the weekend, they might have to learn to ski as well. Forecasters are warning that the second bout of Britain’s Big Freeze is set to bring up to 8in of snow in some parts overnight. Temperatures are likely to fall below -10c.

So what will happen if the otters’ ice rink becomes impenetrable? Happily, they can also survive on birds, mice and anything else that doesn’t see them coming first. But they will need to fluff up those fur coats for a while yet.


source: dailymail

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Kingfisher's return crowns the great riverbank revival

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Kingfisher: Three times as many seen this year


During last year’s harsh winter there were gloomy predictions that waterside wildlife would be devastated.

However to the surprise of experts there has been a mini-renaissance in the birds and animals that depend on rivers, streams and ponds.

It was feared that kingfishers, in particular, would starve to death as water froze over.

But a survey of rivers and canals logged more than three times as many this year as last, proving the ‘river royalty’ to be more than a match for the weather.

The kingfisher is not the only species riding out the storm, with numbers of newts, toads and otters also on the rise.

British Waterways, which conducts the annual poll, had feared that coldest winter for more than 30 years had taken a devastating toll on wildlife.

Unable to break through the ice on ponds and streams to get food, thousands of kingfishers and other water birds were expected to starve to death.
Last summer’s floods also washed away many nests.

But against the odds there were 596 sightings this year, a 217 per cent rise on 2009.
Numbers of otters started to climb after harmful pesticides were banned in the 1970s and it became an offence to kill the animals intentionally. They are also benefiting from a clean-up of rivers, which has allowed fish to return.

The resurgence of the otter is good news for the water vole. Once a common sight, it became the fastest declining native mammal thanks to pollution, loss of habitat and predatory mink.


The otter: It has benefited from cleaned-up rivers, allowing fish to return


The number of mink spotted this year dropped by more than a third, probably due to the rise of the otter.

Mark Robinson, British Waterways national ecology manager, said: ‘The decrease in the number of mink could be related to the recent increase in number of otters, as our native otters out-compete mink for territory. Water voles often make a tasty meal for mink.’

He added: ‘Following last winter’s harsh weather we were concerned that some species, and in particular kingfishers, could suffer. I’m delighted we’ve had so many records of kingfishers this year.

‘The results really show the resilience of nature and the importance of our canal and river network in providing vital shelter and food for a wide variety of wildlife.’
The survey logged a rise in house sparrows but drops in hedgehogs, grass snakes and coots.

source: dailymail

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Terrified mother confronts 'noisy burglar' in her kitchen only to find... an orphaned baby otter

By Daily Mail Reporter

Lost and lonely: The baby otter was hungry and dehydrated. It is now being looked after by the RSPCA


A petrified housewife tiptoed downstairs to confront what she thought was a noisy burglar in her kitchen only to find - a little orphaned baby otter.

Sheila Manisier , 44, discovered the three-month-old mammal foraging for scraps after her daughter Laura Manisier-Hilton, 13, heard noises at their home.

Brave Sheila crept into the kitchen fully expecting to find an intruder but instead spotted the foot-long juvenile otter cowering underneath her kitchen table.

Healthcare manager Sheila fed the female otter a £10 piece of raw cod and has now handed it over to the RSPCA.

Sheila, who believes the otter entered the house in Taverham, Norfolk, through an open back door said she 'couldn't believe' her eyes.

She said: 'When I first saw it I thought it could be a rat but when I got closer I saw the brown fur and long tail and realised it was something else.

'I've never seen an otter in the wild before, let alone under my kitchen table so it was such a shock.

'It was so lucky it came into our home because we are real animal lovers and so I had a dog crate in the garage which I was able to put it into.

'I'd also been shopping that morning so had a lovely piece of raw cod in the fridge, which the otter jumped on and gobbled up so quickly.


Night-time surprise: Sheila Manisier, with daughter Laura (right) and au pair Larisa Ionita. She is holding the bowl she unsuccessfully tried to get the otter to drink from


'I put out a bowl of water for it to drink as well but it didn't understand it could drink it and instead tipped it over and rolled in it.

'We are still finding it hard to believe that it happened, but feel very privileged that it did.' Sheila and keen horse rider Laura, who live with Romanian au pair Larissa Ionita, 22, heard their dogs barking at 11.45pm on Monday.

She was concerned that a burglar may have entered the property but was relieved to discover the otter.

The RSPCA are now caring for the kitten at East Winch rehabilitation centre in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA revealed that the otter is 'very young' and should have remained with her parents until she was one year old.

She said: 'The otter has been examined by a vet. She is quite poorly and very dehydrated and has been given fluids and antibiotics.

'We have no idea how it came to be in the home, but juvenile otters can be naive and can get into all kinds of trouble if they wander away from their mum.'


source: dailymail

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