Belfast Zoo Belfast's mystery new mammal arrives nexy week!

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from the other side of the world I have no stake in the matter and can really see both sides of the 'arguments' in his thread, but I have to say I'm happy for Belfast Zoo getting smooth-coated otters.

I have three questions, which aren't directly related to Belfast so hopefully won't take the thread off too much on a tangent, but:

1) there used to be in England one or two establishments that specialised in otters (one was called the Otter Trust I believe). Do they still exist, and what species do they have (and had)?

2) what species of otters are in UK at the moment (I just know small-clawed, smooth-coated and giant; and presumably European)?

3) where are the three hairy-nosed otters kept that peacock-pheasant mentioned (I've heard of one in Vietnam)?
 
Chlidonias - I can help with some of your questions .

The Otter Trust was set up by Philip Wayre who also ran the Norfolk Wildlife Park . The main purpose of the Otter Trust was to breed European otters for release to the wild ( the UK otter population was decimated in the second half of the last century ) . The headquarters were at Earsham where a large number of natural enclosures also housed small-clawed and other species ( I seem to remember a single African spot-necked otter , possibly also smooth-coated ) . There were also waterfowl and deer in a lovely rural setting - a pleasant place to visit . The breeding and release scheme was successful and other centres opened in Devon and somewhere in the North of England I think .

The UK otter population has thankfully recovered well in recent decades . The need for releases of captive-bred otters declined . A couple of years ago the Otter Trust decided to give up its captive breeding and close the centres , though I believe it still owns the Earsham site . Hope I have got this story more or less correct - I am sure other zoochatters can add more .

There are quite a few N. American river otters in the UK , breeding successfully . Bristol and Slimbridge are two collections with them . The recently closed - and possibly re-opening - Mole Hall was very successful with the species . They show themselves better than European otters though quite a few collection do have them - where there is a publicfeed/ talk is the best chance of seeing them .

I cannot help with the hairy-nosed otters but am intrigued .
 
Two other otter-specialising collections are the Chesnut Centre in Derbyshire and it's sister collection, the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park,

Chestnut is, of course, the home to (for now*) the UK's only Giant Otters, and also has a pair of North American River Otters, two pairs of Europeans, and more Asian Short-claws than you could possibly imagine. I mean it! :)


*South Lakes at least is lining them up.
 
The otter trust I believe also owned the Tamar Otter Sanctuary in the South West for a while.

Thrigby Hall held possibly the last Smooth-Coated otter until the RSCC imported a pair. I think the thrigby animal died at the start of the 90s.

So the owners of Chestnut Centre, New Forest Wildlife Centre (used to be owned by the Sea Life Centre Chain!) and Battersea Park zoo specialise in otters across their three collections.

Tamar Otter Sanctuary is still going, with what appears to be the remnants of the Otter Trust stock from when it was owned by Philip Wayre.

There is also Dartmoor/Buckfast otter centre, with the three commonly-seen otter species held in the UK on display here.

In UK collections, short-clawed otters have undergone something of a population explosion since the 1990s. I remember working in a zoo which had its first otter pup in the early 90s, there was huge excitement, now this and most other collections with this species are breeding them profusely, to the point where even Sea Life aquaria are able to obtain them. However I think all otter species that are comfortable around visitors are an excellent teaching tool about the health of water systems, regardless of their status in the wild.

Does anyone know where the Belfast otters are coming from? Are Belfast contributing to ex situ habitat conservation or rescue centres?
 
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Last summer, I saw a pair of North American otters in Blue Planet Aquarium, Ellesmere Port and think they are orginally from Mole Hall Wildlife Park.
 
The New Forest Park are also hoping to keep a family of Giant Otters in their wildlife pond in the future. I feel that with the butterfly house completed in 2008 and the wolf enclosure next month, this will be their next big project. The park only specialised in otters from 1998, when it was taken over by the Heap Family who already owned the Chestnut Centre; there were no otters in the collection in it's form before as NatureQuest New Forest, and before that it was the New Forest Butterfly Farm. It currently holds American, Eurasian and Short-Clawed Otters in 9 on-show enclosures, along with rows of off-show pens holding rescued and orphaned otters whilst they are rehabilitated before being released into the wild.

The Tamar Otter Sanctuary was owned by Ken Hill when it opened in 1986 (the book Stormforce contains some interesting snippets about the park) who then handed it over to new management in 2007 when the Otter Trust shut down, and then renamed it The Tamar Otter and Wildlife Centre. Whilst they stopped the otter reintroduction programme due to it's success, they continue rescue of otters in need. There is a personal connection to the park for me: My grandparents used to live less than half a mile from the park, and the park is built on what was my Great-Grandfather's Farm. A dream is buying the park when I'm older and reclaiming the land!
 
Marwell Dalek said:
The Tamar Otter Sanctuary was owned by Ken Hill when it opened in 1986 (the book Stormforce contains some interesting snippets about the park) who then handed it over to new management in 2007 when the Otter Trust shut
Click to expand...

Wasn't it originally owned by Philip Wayre who also had Great Witchingham(Norfolk) and the Otter Trust HQ at Earsham(suffolk) ? Or was this a different sanctuary in North Cornwall?

Interesting connection you have with the location.:)
 
It was operated by the Otter Trust and subsequentley Wayre would've had a heavy influence, but the site itself was opened and operated by Hill.

Thankyou, and I feel proud to have it. I haven't been there in a couple of years, so when we next go down to visit relatives there at Easter I'll have to see what's up at the place.
 
Marwell Dalek said:
It was operated by the Otter Trust and subsequentley Wayre would've had a heavy influence, but the site itself was opened and operated by Hill.
Click to expand...

I thought it was a little strange for P.Wayre to have opened a 2nd place in Cornwall but I can see it happening more if it was already in existence.
 
I think they moved a while back, don't remember seeing them on my last visit. Then again its not that rare.
 
Uh...I don't know....I'll see if I can find out for you next time I'm up...if someone else doesn't first. ;)
 
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