Otters in highlands UK CUTE otters were captured frolicking around the Scottish waterways at the Isle of Mull on December 15. The otter (Lutra lutra) was lost from most of England and Wales between the 1950s and the 1970s because of pesticide pollution of waterways. But they survived in Scotland?s cleanest bodies of water in the north and west. Today, the species is flourishing across Scotland and recovering well across the UK as waterways are cleaned up. The Scottish population is estimated to be around 8, 000 otters. These images were taken by a 69-year-old Scottish Wildlife photographer, Ron McCombe, from a distance of 60 to 70 feet using the Olympus OM1 200 to 800 mm telephoto zoom lens. ?Otters are very elusive creatures. It's one thing to be able to spot them, quite another to get close to them and photograph them, ? he said. ?I think otters are the epitome of wild animals, and I found it very satisfying to capture these images without disturbing the group. ?I waited for an hour or so to snap these little creatures while maintaining a respectable distance.? ENDS
