OTTERS!

iparian vegetation. Because of
this, they are considered a very
important bioindicator.
If otters can live and reproduce
in an area, this means that the
ecosystem in which they are is
healthy. For this reason, we should
all want an otter to choose to live
near our house: if the rivers, lakes,
fish, frogs, crayfish and air are
good enough for an otter, they
will be good enough for us.
Thousands of people working
for and with the otter in Europe
managed to turn things around.
Water systems were cleaned,
riparian vegetation and forests
were re-established, prey
animals started recolonising the
improved environments and the
otter slowly recovered, returning
to areas it had been absent from
for years.
There is nothing I prefer than to
sit on the bank of a river during
a dusky summer’s evening and
hope to see an otter. To see
one you need a lot of patience
but it is definitely worth the wait.
Watching an otter foraging,
or carefully watching over her
young, or playing with its family
members gives me a sense
of peace and fulfillment that
watching no other animal could.
Otters are coming back, slowly
and with caution. Being such
sensitive animals, there are still few
and any change in the quality
of their environment could bring
disastrous effects. We need to be
alert and careful, because this
species is not only important per
se, it helps keep in check all those
animals that it eats – fish, crayfish
– and by association also the
plants and acquatic vegetation
in our rivers and lakes that keep
the riverbanks strong and stable.
Our houses, our towns and our
countryside depend on the otter.
Respecting and helping the
otter should be everyone’s
priority. With otters around we are
healthier, happier, and live in a
more balanced environment.
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