Cities attract first otters since Industrial Revolution....

[El Annie]

In conserv@tion today - http://www.habitat.org.uk/news1.htm

Otters have been recorded in town and city centres for the first time in decades and in many northern cities for the first time since the Industrial Revolution. A survey for the Wildlife Trusts discovered evidence of otters in about 100 towns and cities, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Derby, Norwich, Bristol, Canterbury and Cardiff. Otter populations have been recovering in many parts of Britain after water quality improved following privatisation of the water industry in 1989, but previous surveys found them only on city margins, 10-20 miles from the centre.
More information -
Telegraph
Times
Herald

Independent
expressandstar.com
Scotsman

El Annie:t:

[Beverlybaynes]

What kind of otters are you referring to?

River otters were extirpated from Indiana about a century or more ago. They were reintroduced beginning in 1995, and I finally saw my first ones on New Year's Day, to my utter delight!! They are breeding and increasing their populations, thank goodness!

[bcurrie]

El Annie, thanks for this bit of news. Otters are a little slice of heaven in my book.

[Tammie]

Here's my otter story:
My husband and I went for a drive one night on a back road near here and came across an otter in the middle of the road above a culvert. We accidentally frightened the poor thing back into the water but it went a little too far and ended up in the territory of a neighboring otter. Poor thing took quite a beating for that and let out a good scream! We felt so bad we high tailed it out of there so he could settle down again!
We've also had otters keep watch of us and our boat while we've been fishing. Seem to be seeing more and more of them. They are wonderful animals and so curious!

[Michael Frankis]

Bev,

This news item refers to European Otter (Lutra lutra)

Michael