Otters are one of Wales’ most beloved furry friends, their playful demeanour and adorable appearance have long deemed them a favourite for wildlife enthusiasts.
Richard Rees, a wildlife photographer who observed a family of otters, described their comical performance,
“The two babies were playing- they’re hysterical to watch, they play-fight, chase each other, and stand on top of each other.”
However, despite this carefree behaviour, they haven’t always been around.
After nearing extinction in the UK during the 1950s and 60s, reportedly from chemical pollutants like organochlorine pesticides, there’s a history of hardship beneath their dazzling charm.
In the 1980s, this hazardous decline towards extinction sparked miraculous recovery.
Environmental legislation banned the use of harmful chemicals and protective areas were established- allowing otters to recuperate and thrive once more.
Unfortunately, this problem is still far from over as Cardiff University and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have recently recorded another recent decline across Wales.
According to Richard Rees, “There were 9 otters 2 years ago. Me and a group of photographers all took pictures. We compared them and could see different markings so we identified 9 different otters.”
“Then the otters went away. We think the water quality had something to do with it.”
However, it’s not all bad news for our water weasels.
“Since all this heavy rain recently, the water has started to clear up."
Now there’s a new family, according to Rees, “the mum has had 2 babies, the babies look like they’re at least 8 months old if not older. They are their own family unit.”
But it’s not only otters making a comeback.
“Recently the kingfishers are back, I saw 4 individual king fishers and before that, we hadn't seen one for over a year."
With these spectacular wildlife sightings on the rise, it’s easy to overlook the rarity of these encounters; Rees waited approximately 7 hours to catch a glimpse of these river rascals.
When asked if he had any advice for aspiring photographers, he offered the age-old wisdom- patience is key!
“Patience and keep your distance. You’ve got to be relatively quiet and just watch- sit and watch and something will happen.”
Rees also saw “loads of herons, loads of cormorants, the cormorants were catching lots of fish, a buzzard flew over and a red kite flew over,” - clearly Pembrokeshire’s bustling wildlife was pulling out all the stops!!
However, despite the long wait Rees aptly reflected that, “to be out in the fresh air, there are a lot worse things to be doing.”
