Otters And Me

Having started a large mammal survey in Bristol during 2022 (it failed as the feedback from wildlife groups was...minimal by which I mean one person). I knew there were otters within my area so I contacted the Greater Bristol Otter Group. I even posted messages on the Bristol Naturalist Society and Bristol Nature Network Face Book pages. Nothing.

I was somewhat concerned about the number of otters I had heard were dying on roads in the City and County. By mid-January, 2023 I gave up and posted out the following:

"What is going on??

"Last year I made three attempts to contact the Bristol Otter Group. Nothing. Trying to find out more about otter deaths and even though I asked my questions on a discussion about an otter death...nothing.

"Then on Bristol Naturalist Society FB page I get this:

"'Hi, have you reported the recent death? The Greater Bristol Otter Group will need evidence of deaths to take forward and will collect the body if they can. I believe they are in contact with people about it, if you are referring to the A38."

My response:

"The otters I am referring to have all been mentioned here therefore I present no evidence. I am trying to find out how many otters died on Bristol roads in 2022 and deaths so far this year -there is confusion over whether we are talking two deaths in the last week or just one that is being mentioned twice. I also have asked why the otters go to Cardiff rather than, say, Langford. Also asking whether anyone has approached Bristol Council about wildlife underpasses to prevent the otter and other animals killed on roads in the City. No one seems to want to offer a simple response just go round in circles. Someone MUST be able to answer surely?'"

One would assume that naturalists being asked questions that are not that difficult by a fellow naturalist (mammalogist) would respond. Their page states:

"Our aim is to record otter presence in the Bristol area in order to gain a greater understanding of Bristol’s otter population while working alongside similar interest groups to exchange knowledge and ideas. Findings are reported to the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) which helps with research and reporting on otter presence in order to identify patterns of behaviour and also the impact of human interaction."

The most important thing is that if otters are being killed along the same stretch of road that some type of underpass is created so that they do not have to cross a road.

In the end I contacted Cardiff University whose Otter Project carries out testing on otters found dead around the UK. Thankfully, they were far more helpful:

"Hi Terry,

"I have just looked through our database and mapped all our otter locations and unfortunately it appears we have only ever received one otter from Bristol in 2014. I have attached the PM form for this otter as well as its location on the map.

"We were surprised to discover that we have only had one otter from Bristol and upon further digging I found that we do still have a contact from the Environment Agency that covers all of North Wessex. It seems from previous emails that we have been cc'ed in that there may be a freezer full of otters in Bristol that we were unaware of, but we are yet to receive them.

"At the moment, we are at full capacity with our freezer space and have had to put a temporary halt on post-mortems, so we can't receive anymore. However, once we get going again, I will try to get in contact with someone down in Bristol and see if we can arrange to deliver the otters to Cardiff. Once we do, I will be sure that we send you the location and post-mortem results, but this may take several months.

"We would love to help you with your work in preventing more otter deaths, so sorry we couldn't be of more help.

Many thanks,

signed

I thanked the team and asked to be kept in touch with any results from otters in my area and eventually got another response:

"Hi Terry,

"Just to update you, we had a delivery from the Greater Bristol Otter Group on Friday 20th. I've updated the map so there is now three otters that have been delivered to us from the county of Bristol. I have attached the closeup of the location of these otters as it appears two of them were located very close from each other on the A4174. We don't have the PM report for these yet as that will take several months, however please let me know if you would like them.

"After talking with GBOG and looking into our records, I would like to confirm that the group has been sending us otters over the past several years. However, as they cover the  Greater Bristol area, it means that they also include the surrounding counties, such as Somerset and Gloucestershire. In the attachments, I have shared with you the location of the otters that were delivered to us by GBOG on Friday. As you can see, most of them were located in Somerset. I have also included a wider view map, showing that dead otters are being widely reported across Wessex, however as Bristol is a more urban area they are perhaps less likely to be found there.

"I hope this helps clear up any confusion that may have arisen and please let me know if we can do anything else to help.

"Many thanks,

signed"

Bristol otter location

wider view

new otters from GBOG 20.01.23

Closeup of Bristol otter deaths

Well, I joined the Greater Bristol Otter Group but it wasn't getting me anywhere and their last website post appears to have been from 2014. So, to help move things along I posted some otter news and even raised the subject of koi carp owners using "electrical devices" to deter otters.

The following item I posted on 4th July, 2023 and asked whether that came within the GBOG area?

"Some sad news from Gloucestershire: An otter has died after being caught in an illegal crayfish trap in the River Frome in Stroud, Glos.

"A second otter was found in a distressed state nearby and Gloucestershire Police have today (July 4) issued a warning about the danger posed to the protected animals by the use of unlicensed traps in the area.

"A wild swimmer came across a distressed otter in the River Frome in Stroud on Wednesday 28 June," said a police spokesperson.

"On further investigation the swimmer found another otter trapped inside a signal crayfish trap nearby, however the animal was already dead.

"The incident was reported to animal welfare officers at Stroud District Council and police were informed. The net has since been removed."

"Alex Myrie, Senior Animal Welfare Officer at Stroud District Council said: "The trapping of signal crayfish can only be done on licence issued by the Environment Agency, and a condition of that licence is that all traps must have an otter guard.

"This doesn't appear to have been done on this occasion and as a result, an otter has become caught in the net and has sadly died.

"This is extremely upsetting and a second otter at the scene was visibly distressed. Therefore we would ask anyone who has a licence to trap crayfish, to ensure they are complying with the conditions of their licence and to trap responsibly."

"The police spokesperson added "The Environment Agency does not allow or licence traps in the Frome area due to the potential risk to endangered native white clawed crayfish, the only exception being for scientific monitoring by consultancies.

"Otters are a protected species and it is an offence to deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them.

"Anyone with information about this incident can provide this to police online by completing the following form and quoting incident 27 of 28 June: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/.../tell-us-about..."

A crayfish net

I wish that I could say that I got a response from GBOG but I never did. Hopefull;y the otters got  to Cardiff -I believe they did.

I then got involved, accidentally as is normal, in the matter of a dead otter cub in the North of England. The behaviour and its death raised concerns with the rescue involved and as they do microscopy work on hedgehog faeces they did the same with the otter cub.

To cut a long story short the rescue arranged with an Environment Agency contact to have the otter sent down to Cardiff University Otter Project.

Now the rescue sent me two microscopy photos and two video clips and I forwarded these to the excellent pathologist that carries out all the dead fox post mortems. He expressed an interest in carrying out a full diagnostic post mortem on the cub and I explained that the carcass was going to Cardiff. I learnt that Cardiff does not carry out full diagnostic PMs which I had not realised before nd are more interested in the genetic side of otters.

In fact, there is a very interesting article on that very subject:

Country-wide genetic monitoring over 21 years reveals lag in genetic recovery despite spatial connectivity in an expanding carnivore (Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra) population

Nia E. Thomas, Frank Hailer, Michael W. Bruford, Elizabeth A. Chadwick

Now, as I note, the pathologist in Bristol is top notch and far more thorough in his work than we had ever expected -in fact Cardiff has been known to ask him for assists if they find anything.

Although the genetic work is very important it seems that there is little to no information on parasites, etc in otters because the work has not been carried out.

I can bore endlessly on post mortems and what we have learnt about foxes and the thing is those PMs are adding to the data because it was never carried out before . With otters it is just as important to know what is going on and the general health of the population and so on.

What I am not saying is "Ignore Cardiff" -they do valuable work. What I am suggesting is that any dead otters be sent to Bristol for full diagnostic post mortems. Cardiff does not lose out in any way as they get what they need and I was communicating with them and the pathologist and forwarding discussion to GBOG. In a way it is almost like getting constant head pains that nothing seems to stop so you get a choice to see your GP again or a neurologist (hint just in case -go for the neurologist).

The importance of seeing what is going on health wise with any population, especially one as restricted as otters, is not just going to add to what we know but help detect health issues in a local population and in some instances try to help stop those issues. Again, we are learning more and more about treating foxes in the wild without trapping, stressing, treating in a centre after a long journey then releasing than ever.

How do we treat lung worm in otters that could kill them or do we simply sit back and wait for them to die then do a post mortem and cross our fingers in the hope they will not all die off?

The emphasis is, again, on the fact that Cardiff does NOT lose out and that is very important. If I thought that sending otters to Bristol for PM would create problems and halt Cardiff's research then, however strongly I feel about the health and welfare issue here I would not suggest it. In fact, I have nothing to gain from this in case anyone wonders -I am a mammalogist specialising in canids, felids and mustelids and the last thing I want to do is jump into the otter ring.

So, please, if you find a dead otter, let me know and I can forward the details on who to contact so that we can get the post mortems and Cardiff also gets the data it needs.

And I apologise if I step on anyone's toes but I have always been hands on in wildlife work and upsetting people is not what I want to do.

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/.../2684993-scientists-grow...

My communication between the northern group who found the otter pup and Cardiff and the pathologist resulted in this:

rescue "At 7am we were called about a small otter pup lying on the path by Tems Beck in Giggleswick. It had been seen the previous night with an adult, and then again, but alone this morning. The finder Tim, checked on him an hour after first spotting him, and he was still there, and he had been seen earlier by someone else. Tim called the police and RSPCA, but had no joy and fortunately got our number. Jane Carpenter was there within about 10 minutes, and Tim had waited with the otter. This little man was not trying to get away, but he was trying to give a good bite.

"We followed the otter protocol from the last time we rescued a pup, warmed him up and got straight onto our friend Dave Webb from the UK Wild Otter Trust so that we could arrange a specialist rescue place and transport for 'Chewbacca'. After 'Chewy' enjoyed a little salmon, he became very weak and his little body started to shut down, and he gave just up. There was obviously something very wrong for him to have been abandoned and then for him to not try to escape, and then pass so quickly. "

The rescue attached some microscopy slides/clips that they took and I will attach those here so that you can see.

"The pathologist carries out, via Bristol Uni Post Mortem Services, all of the PMs on foxes submitted as part of the Fox Deaths Project -I am sure you know of his work?  I contacted Mr. ****** and sent him the above and attachments and he responded:

"I’m not sure of the magnification but the still images be of a fluke. There has been very little work on endoparasites in otters and I would be very keen to do a diagnostic PM on this cub. A nematode Pseudoterranova spp. and an acantocephalan have been identified in gut contents. It should be noted that some parasites found in the gut may be parasites of fish prey rather than of the otter."

The rescue explained that the Environment Agency had the otter and it was hoped the pup could be diverted to Bristol so I sent the pathologist's response to Cardiff:

"Unfortunately I received that reply after I was told that the otter was heading your way. I wondered whether there would be any way of having Mr. *****  carry out a diagnostic PM on the cub? My apologies if that is trampling over any protocols I am not aware of but I am trying to fix a miscommunication and as the rescue were concerned about any health issues in the local otters that might need dealing with I thought I would ask.

Again, apologies for any trampling on protocols.

Warm regards"

The pathologist was concerned that the amount of transport time and back and forth might mean autolysis was setting in (In biology, autolysis, more commonly known as self-digestion, refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes. It may also refer to the digestion of an enzyme by another molecule of the same enzyme.)  I assumed that the pup had not been diverted to Bristol which was a pity but...

So I had kept GBOG up-to-date (via email) of what had been discussed and on 30th November 2023 posted the following to groups:

"An update on otters.

I have chatted with the Greater Bristol Otter Group as well as Cardiff University Otter Project and the Bristol pathologist and this is how the situation stands.

The GBOG will continue taking RTA otters to Cardiff.

In the event of an otter(s) dying from unknown causes and away from a road then Bristol will take the otter and carry out a full diagnostic post mortem to determine the cause.

So all the bases are covered and after three days I can breath again"

GBOG were going to eventually discuss all of this but I had even made efforts to find someone who could retrieve otter carcasses when found so they did not lose any. I stepped back but things were not going well when it came to GBOG and was rather rudely told (very publicly) "We never agreed to any of this". At the beginning of February I had a dead otter reported to me so I emailed GBOG (who say it can take 24-48 hours before they get to messages) and...what a mess. Here is my post from 4th February 2024

otter found under a car in a Bristol car park. It was put to sleep due to injuries and GBOG informed but no one collected.

" I was today contacted, as far as I can ascertain, not by a member of the Bristol Otter Group, about the otter I confirmed as being dead on Friday. I was contacted after a discussion at an event (apparently) and it was reported that there was a dead otter at a known blackspot -firstly for animal welfare and protection I do not give out locations of otters whether dead or alive and so the location was misinformation not originating from me.

"Last year I spent a great deal of time communicating with Bristol pathology and Cardiff university and in the end it was decided that otters should be diverted to Bristol where full post mortems could be carried out (such PMs are a rarity) and Cardiff got the samples it needed and this would give an overall picture of otter health -it would also save the otter group having to store the otters for a long period and then drive to Cardiff and back. I even had someone at the time who would drive out to collect the bodies for them since it can take 24-48 hours at best to get any response from them.

"I was given a public slap on the face (on this group -Bristol Naturalist Society) for having said the otter group agreed to this. I did not state that. The important thing is to get animals who are under study to a pathology lab asap. After a number of hours rigor mortis sets in and even in the current weather flies settle on carcasses and they become "maggot surprises" -we are all too familiar with that in fox carcass retrievals.

"On the 2nd February I reported a confirmed otter death and posted here about it and that a vet was in possession of it. I believe that it was four days later I was asked which vet as the person (I assume from the GBOG but she never identified herself as such) thought it might be possible to collect it. Vets that are willing, and there are very few, to keep a dead animal in their freezer only do so for about 24 hours so unless a request is made to store for a day more then protocol kicks in and the carcass is sent for disposal. So 3-4 days later the otter is gone.

"The current otter was reported and confirmed as an otter on Friday. If fly strike and other wildlife have not all started doing their work it would be a miracle. I kept a location map of both and awaited someone from the otter group to get in touch.

"As a field naturalist and the person recording fox and badger deaths in the area I tend to have something like a dead otter reported on the day of death. Fresh.

"I will keep recording any otter deaths an d make people aware of them but unless the otter group changes the way it works then these will also be lost. I learnt the lesson the hard way about collecting and submission so I hope protocols can be changed so that people are contactable and can go out to recover bodies asap.

"And 'thank you' to the person who contacted me and indeed MY time is equally as important with the workload I have."

Absolutely no response. Then another otter death reported and...nothing after five days. As long as I can find someone to collect any future dead otters I will make sure they go to Bristol pathology and GBOG will be informed.

In 2022 I learnt  that some tenants in an area of Bristol were using equipment purchased from Ebay and Amazon to create electrical fencing to deter otters from koi carp ponds. This is also going on in other areas with carp ponds.

I went through DEFRA who were utterly useless and did not seem to give a damn about the matter despite, and I quote:

"Otters are designated and protected as European protected species ( EPS ). EPS are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. It is an offence to: deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them."

So after the usual run around I contacted Bristol City Council Animal Welfare  Department and I was given the shrug and "nothing to do with us" (BCC just keeps on 'giving'). Despite otter deaths on one particular road the idea of fencing and an animal road underpass was "beyond council local policy" whatever that means.

My next port of call was the supposed be all and end all on these things -Natural England. I emailed, got passed along, ignored and then after further efforts to be a pest got this response in January 2023 but Natural England does not seem to give a damn.

"Hello Terry

"I have had an email from another colleague about your query which I thought might be useful for you. He has read the Natural England guidance that was on the facebook thread and had the following comment:

"Although this refers to development and habitat loss I think the people with the pond need to be careful how they mitigate against the otters to protect the pond. The extract includes ‘uses otter-proof fences to stop otters getting on to development sites’.

"He suggests contacting Natural England for a clear answer on what people are allowed to do to protect an established pond.

"I believe this is the quote in question.

Avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures

Look for examples of avoidance, mitigation or compensation plans in the development proposal. The proposal could avoid:

· work on or near the water body and known otter habitat, including work to road crossings and culverts

· disturbance effects, for example, by leaving a buffer zone along a river

· night works

The size of the buffer zone along the stretch of water will vary depending on:

· how otters use the area

· the type of vegetation at the site

· the level of existing background disturbance

· the level of proposed disturbance

Where avoidance measures are not possible, mitigation measures could include designing the development so that it:

· retains otter habitats in the water body and bank

· uses otter-proof fences to stop otters getting into development sites

Otters are highly territorial animals with large home ranges. Depending on the quality of the habitat and availability of food, males can range along rivers for 35km. Otters will continue to try and use routes if alternatives are not included in a mitigation strategy.

Contact Natural England

Natural England County Hall Spetchley Road Worcester WR5 2NP United Kingdom

Email

enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

Telephone

0300 060 3900"

So I am now chasing NE up again. It is about time people began to learn to live with wildlife and find ways around problems without the use of devices that might harm wildlife. During all of this not one single response or ounce of cooperation from the GBOG.

HOW OTTERS ARE PROTECTED

Otters are designated and protected as European protected species (EPS). EPS are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

It is an offence to:

• deliberately kill, injure, disturb or capture them
• possess, control or transport them (alive or dead)

It is also an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to intentionally or recklessly:

• disturb otters while they occupy a structure or place used for shelter or protection
• obstruct access to a place of shelter or protection

Otters are listed as rare and most threatened species under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (2006). You must have regard for the conservation of Section 41 species as part of your planning decision. Find out more about your biodiversity duty.

The developer must comply with the legal protection of otters.

You should consider if the developer has taken appropriate measures to avoid, mitigate and, as a last resort, compensate for any negative effects on otters. 

The developer may need to apply for an otter mitigation licence to carry out their proposal.

                                  ********

When someone asked that grills covering over culverts be opened or widened to prevent further otter deaths on a road black spot the fun began as reported on Bristol Live 2nd July 2023:

"“I have (since) found an example of an Environment Agency grill in Mousehole with a much greater width between the bars which would allow otters to pass. It is unlikely that Pigeon House stream grill is owned or installed by the Environment Agency as there is no sign stating this so it is likely to be owned by BCC.

“Despite the disturbing deaths of these two otters, and several requests by a number of people including me, nothing has been done in the last six months to address the problem. The current harbourside litter bin campaign states that BCC likes otters but clearly practical measures are needed beyond photos on bins,” he added.

“Can the Mayor now take tangible steps to address mortality of otters on Hartcliffe Way? This may include adjusting the grill on Pigeon House Stream in order that otters can pass under the road and otter fencing to prevent the passage of otters across the road,” he added.

"The Mayor is expected to respond to the formal question in the week before July’s full council meeting.

"When asked by Bristol Live about the screen, Bristol City Council said it was the Environment Agency's responsibility. "It is the Environment Agency who need contacting as it's not a flood risk or a highways issue," a spokesperson said.

"A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the screen was not one of theirs. "Many culverted watercourses across Bristol rely on trash screens to prevent blockages which could jeopardise people and property due to flood risk," a spokesperson for the Environment Agency South West said. "This screen is not owned or used by us, but flood risk authorities who manage such assets are mindful of issues like this," they added."

Of course nothing happened. The shameful legacy of the Labour City Council and Mayor (the Green Party has an equal number of seats but appear disinterested). For around three years I have pushed to try to get wildlife over/underpasses at animal death black spots. The Mayor has decided to do what he always does "ignore it and it'll go away"  and has ignored four emails and a letter detailing fox and badger as well as otter deaths on Bristol roads in 2023.  But from a Council violating environmental law on a regular basis it should not be a surprise. 

But in all of this time -otter deaths, wildlife safety passes or use of electrical devices to "deter" otters not one single word from the Greater Bristol Otter Group. And I would very much ;like them to get involved especially since I am the person most likely to have a dead otter reported to them.  I have nothing against anyone at GBOG because, honestly, they have never been interested in getting in touch.  I am interested in the wildlife and not ego boosting but I hope this explains and shows that I have always been open to cooperation and as naturalists that is what we should be doing.

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