Ulverston: Otters raiding peoples' ponds for fish return

Several locals reported the animals were breaking into their ponds and killing their Koi Carp fish in October.

This includes Nigel Cooper, 61, who witnessed an otter jump into his pond and kill nine of his fish - including four goldfish, two Koi - in the middle of the night.

But Nigel says that nobody in the local area saw the otters for a few weeks, so residents assumed that the animals had died.

However, new CCTV footage captured in the early hours of Friday, November 29, morning shows the otter going onto the garden before being scared off.

Locals have reported that the animals are breaking into their ponds and killing their Koi Carp fish

Nigel, who admits that he "loves otters", said: "The dogs were barking and a light sensor I had fitted went off.

"We only saw it for a split second because the dogs barking scared it away.

"It's a pretty big otter, it was quite plump as well.

"I knew it would come back because if they know that there is food there, then they will try and get it again.

"It was obviously shocked by the electric fence and didn't like it, so that scared the otter away - which was a success.

"I don't know how it got in the garden though, I've got a six ft fence on one side and I've got vines up - that's the only place it could have got in.

"This is the first otter sighting we've had for two or three weeks - so it's back."

Nigel Cooper first witnessed an otter jump into his pond and kill seven of his fish in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago

Nigel, a former operations manager, believes the population of otters in the area has recently increased and now they are having to find more food sources.

But he said as there has been local reports that three otters have been hit by cars, they assumed they had been killed.

Nigel said: "Nobody has seen them for weeks so people had thought they had gone, but I knew they were coming back.

"There was a reported hit and run of two otters around eight miles away from me, but when I checked I didn't find anything.

"But it was confirmed that one otter had been hit near the canal, that was a definite road kill unfortunately.

Stills from footage show an otter at Nigel Cooper's pond on November 29

"We thought that these three otters were the ones that were going around town but this could be a separate one - but it's a big one."

Nigel even created a Facebook page to track the animals and is recording every single otter-related incident in the area on a map.

He's advising people to try and prevent the otters from coming onto their gardens, by blocking up every hole they can and by stopping them from climbing fences.

Nigel said: "I've trained my two Chihuahuas to bark at anything that's on the garden, so they woke us up.

"The sensor light came in and the otter put its nose on the electrical fence, so it got a little shock.

"But the fence is harmless, it doesn't hurt them apart from giving them a short zip.

"All the otter organisations I've spoken to have recommended that type - it gives them a short shock.

Despite wanting the animals away from his property, he says he "absolutely loves" otters.

Nigel said: "Otters are gorgeous, I absolutely love them.

"I've even been in touch with quite a few otter societies and people are amazed that you can have them in your back garden.

"But it's amazing to see and this time the deterrent worked - so I'm happy."