An interesting, unique and memorable experience is waiting at Otter Dartmoor Sanctuary. This is a real treat for otter fans which is a hands on experience that is sure to be fun and educational at the same time.

Otter Dartmoor Sanctuary situated in Buckfastleigh, Devon, is home to the playful creatures that are otters. Not only is this sanctuary for people to come and spend the day looking around at the nature and animals, but it also allows the chance for people to participate in a very unique experience. The sanctuary allows guests to have an ‘otter experience’ for one whole day. This includes having a tour of the otters grounds, cleaning out the otter pools, pens and holts, preparing the otters food and feeding it to them later on in the day and finally, having lots of photographs taken with the otters.

Otters are very playful, bubbly and energetic animals who love water and having fun. Their lively personalities and their adorable loving nature make them impossible not to love. At Dartmoor there are three different species of otter that live at the sanctuary.

David Field who has been attending to the otters at Dartmoor Sanctuary for over thirty years explained how popular otters are due to their playful nature. He said: “People from all over England have been to this sanctuary just to visit the otters for the day. They are a really popular species and I put it down to their charismatic, playful and friendly nature.”

David furthermore discussed how unique otters are making them one of a kind. “You won’t find any other animal like an otter. People are fascinated by them and personally, I could watch them all day. They are very funny to watch, yet they are also very interesting to learn about.”

Although the number of otters are on the increase in the UK and conservations such as Dartmoor Sanctuary have been a success, there are still dangers surrounding these animals. Traffic is the main cause of death to otters, and this problem has been made worse by the fact that otters are have become less nocturnal than in the past. They will go out in daylight to search for food, however this is when most traffic is on the roads.

Dartmoor Sanctuary greatly support the protection of otters, and are included in captive breeding projects to help give the otter population all over the country a kick-start.

To read more on the conservation of otters click here.

Get to know the otters at Dartmoor better:

The British or European Otter

The British otter, also known as the European otter because of its wide geographical location, can be found around rivers, lakes, streams, marshes and also around some coast lines. There are 10 recognized subspecies of this otter across a broad range of countries such as Ireland, Japan and North Africa. However these species are very rarely seen in these ranges due to environmental problems such as hunting, pollution and habitat loss. The otter is one of Britain’s largest carnivores and male otters can weight over 15kg. The otters will either live in dens, called holts which are mainly found by river banks under rocks. Alternatively, some otters that are in a quiet, undisturbed area may choose to live above ground in what are known as couches made from grass and reeds.

The Asian Short Clawed Otter

This is the smallest species of otter and they can be found in many parts of Indonesia and Southern Asia. These otters take habitat in paddy fields, lowland streams and marshes. The Asian Short Clawed otter is a very playful species, which differs from the European Otter which is rather more timid. They feed on molluscs, small crabs and fish which they find by using their paws to probe under pebbles. Unlike the European otter, Asian Short Clawed otters don’t have webbed feet, instead they have thin rubbery toes which are perfect for digging in between small crevices for food. These otters also like to show off playing with pebbles by juggling them between their feet.

The North American River Otter

Also known as the Canadian otter, this species looks very similar to the European otter, however the Canadian otter is a little larger and has a much more rounded nose. Inhabiting lakes, streams, coastal salt marshes and rocky sea coats, this otter would range from Arctic Alaska, to the southern parts of Florida and Texas. However, today this has been affected due to environmental issues involving hunting a trapping, causing reduction in numbers for this breed of otter.