A WOMAN from Bridgerule is warning people in rural areas about inland otters, after a large male otter has carried out a series of attacks on her koi fish, writes Rosie Cripps.

Diana Green, who has lived in her home at Jewell’s Cross, Bridgerule, for 23 years, describing her location as ‘not the river side of Bridgerule, but half a mile up the hill’, has had an upsetting time collecting dead fish from the side of her koi pond recently, having cared for the fish for years.

The pond contained one goldfish and ten koi carp, ranging between approximately 14 inches to 20 inches in length. Diana has always made sure the pond has been secure, netted against heron and other predators. The river in Bridgerule has a ‘good otter population’, but is not close to Diana’s home.

The first attack on the pond took place on the evening of Saturday, September 23, where Diana and her partner found several half-eaten fish scattered across different parts of the garden the next day. Thinking the culprit was a mink — the only sort of animal that could surely squeeze in under the net of the pond — Diana called the local pest control in, who re-enforced the security of the pond and set up a mink trap.

The second attack came three nights later. Diana awoke to find the trap and barriers wrenched aside the next morning, with three more koi removed.

One had had its head chewed off, another was injured but still alive, although it could not be saved, and the third was found intact about 200 yards away from the woodland area.

Diana told the Post: “It was clear we were not dealing with mink, but with something much bigger and stronger, and otter became our chief suspect. I was advised to remove anything still alive to a place of safety immediately. We found only three large koi still in the pond, and removed them into a hastily improvised container — an old cold-water tank from the attic.”

With the remainder of the fish in a place of safety, the pest controller placed a night-vision camera in the garden to catch the suspected otter. The results confirmed their suspicions.

Diana said: “The camera picked up images of the otter pulling out the fish that got left behind — we missed one, it was awful. If you look at the pictures, you can see how big the fish were and that gives you an idea of how big the otter is. We just never thought it would be an otter; we’re right by the main road!”

The otter came back to the pond twice when the footage was caught — once in the evening and again in the early hours of the morning. The otter returned the next evening, trying to break into the container housing the three surviving koi.

Diana said: “I just want to warn people, really. We are on land and on a hill, but this otter is still coming along to kill our fish. You’re not allowed to do anything about otters, they’re totally protected. I wondered if we might be able to trap it and relocate it, but you can’t even do that without a license.”

Speaking about why her pond was targeted, she continued: “I think it’s because there’s no new territory for the cubs to occupy, so now the otters are moving inland with no territory. They’re not afraid of people anymore — this is an otter hunting in broad daylight.

“Our pond is netted, it’s always been protected — that’s why we thought it was a mink; it was the only animal we could think of that could get in under the netting. The otter was so big and strong, it just forced its way through. The fish were thrown about 200 yards away, near the woodland, and now we’ve got these great big koi in the tank from the attic — they can barely move.

“It’s just a garden pond. The herons, foxes and cats can’t get into it; we sometimes find that frogs can get through. We will probably have to build a wall, and whatever cover will have to be secured to the wall. This thing just came in and ripped everything aside. We’re still dealing with the aftermath of everything now.”

She added: “These fish are between 14 inches and two foot, sometimes. We’ve nurtured them for years and cared for them, and suddenly something comes along and rips them up — it’s really sad. Some were alive when I got to them, but I just couldn’t save them — they were too far gone.

“I wanted to warn everyone out there with garden ponds. From what I have read, it seems that the otter protection measures have been so successful that some rivers have now reached saturation point for their otter populations, so that some otters have no set territory of their own, and have taken to raiding garden ponds further and further from the rivers. It’s not as though they just take an odd fish to eat, they seem to have a killing frenzy, and it’s hard to describe the sick feeling when you find koi you have nurtured for years, just pulled out and left to die.

“I would also add that the otter is a protected species, and cannot be trapped or killed. It’s up to fish keepers to secure their ponds as best they can.”