Urban Wildlife - Otters (Ep 4/4)

Otters are an especially elusive creature. Even out in the vast wild where they rarely interact with humans, they're famously timid. So to have an Otter living within the city limits, and even raising a young family is special indeed! Edinburgh is home to one such tenacious and brazen Otter mother, and with a little perseverance and luck, you can see her showing off her swimming prowess, or even a hunt along the river right by the local cafe! But naturally living within the city comes with its drawbacks, and the ever present plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats. Making sure we put our refuse in the bin, or collecting loose plastic blowing past on the ground can be the difference that helps a young Otter cub make it to adulthood.

Urban Wildlife showcases the wildlife you can experience directly beside your homes! Often when we think of seeing or experiencing wildlife, we think of only the great outdoors, the wild and rugged mountains and untamed forests, and we neglect the animals living their own wild lives right in our neighbourhoods. This short series focuses on four local habitats, ponds, streams, parks and loch’s (lakes), and a primary protagonist in that area that you can expect to encounter.

Urban Wildlife was made as a reminder to all of us that our local areas are a prolific source of wildlife and nature, and that it doesn’t take great expense, effort or expertise to encounter it first hand!