Mapping out the otters comeback

Otters have made a comeback since the 1970s

Nature lovers in Wales are being asked to record signs of the otter, as part of its revival in the countryside.

As part of his new BBC Wales series, Iolo Williams wants people to help map out how widespread they are.

Still a rare sight, the most obvious sign of an otter is its droppings. The Welsh Wildlife Trust said the otter is one of conservation's success stories.

Williams is asking viewers to record a variety of species for Iolo's Wild Safari, which starts on 27 April.

He said: "The thing about otters is that you don't see them very often so you have to look out for signs.

"They live in holts and they're often on banks, so you need to look out for tracks, slides but the most obvious sign is their spraints (droppings)..it's about an inch long, little black pellets and full of fish."

Fish stocks

The National Otter Survey for Wales last year showed that 71% of riverbanks and wetland sites in Wales were now home to otters, a huge increase compared to only 20% in the 1970s.

Use of pesticides was blamed for keeping numbers down in the 1950s and 60s.

The Rivers Cleddau and Teifi remained strongholds for otters, even when their numbers were in decline.

The Welsh Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran is currently home to an otter family on the banks of the Teifi.

The most recent survey also showed that otters were starting, slowly, to make a comeback in the old mid Glamorgan county.

Improved water quality, fish stocks and changes in riverbank management are factors.

But conservationists say there is no room for complacency and they want nature lovers to do their bit in ensuring the recovery continues.

People can record signs of otters online at the

Iolo's Welsh Safari website

.