Frustrated locals accuse otters of eating their fish in midnight raids

by · Mail Online

A UK town is being terrorised by otters who are breaking into people's gardens at night to eat goldfish from their ponds, according to Cumbria locals.

Nigel Cooper, 61, from Ulverston witnessed an otter jump into his pond and kill seven of his Koi Carp fish in the middle of the night just a couple of weeks ago.

The fish can be very expensive and can cost up to £30,000 and Mr Cooper said he was lucky that cheeky otter didn't eat his entire pond.

The former operations manager has now created a Facebook page to record every single otter-related incident in the area on a map.

Mr Cooper said: 'My wife looked out of the window and there was a big otter about two metres away from her, jumping into the pond.

Nigel Cooper believes that the population of otters in the area is increasing meaning they are looking for other sources of food. (Stock image of an otter)
An otter can be seen swimming in Nigel Cooper's Koi fish pond. The fish can cost up to £30,000
Nigel Cooper and his Koi pond in Ulverston, Cumbria. Even though he said he loves otters, he believes the population has gotten too big

'She squealed and I thought there was a burglar. I chased the otter around the garden and it scurried over the fence.

'He killed around four goldfish, two Koi and three Northern Goldfish.

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'But we were lucky, because if they get into your pond and they aren't disturbed then they can completely wipe it out.

'The otters even grab the big fish and drag them to somewhere a bit quieter, then they munch through them.

'Some people are proper Koi experts, they can cost £20,000 to £30,000 each. They are really expensive.

'The otters can eat thousands of pounds worth in one night.'

Mr Cooper believes the population of otters in the area has recently increased which means they are having to find more food sources.

He added: 'There's two or three pairs of breeding otters in the area and when they have the pups, there's up to three pups in each breeding season.

'If they are really successful, then they could have six pups in two years and then they breed.

'All of a sudden, the population starts growing.

The otter can be seen in the red circle after scaling a fence before leaping into the fish pond
A close up of the otter. Sometimes if otters are left undisturbed, they can eat an entire pond's worth of fish

'The otters in the area have been that successful with breeding so they are pushing other otters out.

'They have been forced to look for an alternative food source and they've stumbled across a pond and thought that it's good food.

'They've established themself somewhere around here but come into the urban areas, take the fish and then go back.

'It's just a case of finding where they are.'

Mr Cooper said that even though he 'loves otters', he thinks there are 'too many of them in the area'.

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.

He concluded: 'I love otters but I think there is too many of them in the area.

'I've done all sorts. We witnessed it climb over a 5ft fence so you need something to stop them from climbing up them.

'We've got some chicken wire rolled up on the top of it, so it should stop them from climbing up the fence.

'We've also blocked every hole up that we possibly can.'