Tal-y-llyn

Tal-y-llyn Otters Return

A family of otters have returned to Tal-y-llyn after an absence of three years and now a mother and her two cubs can be seen regularly playing in the waters.

“We last saw the male otter three years ago and then he suddenly disappeared,” said Ricky Francis, joint owner of The Old Rectory on the lake, a five star bed and breakfast. “To our delight he suddenly turned up again a few weeks ago and then his mate and two cubs appeared and since then we have seen them often.” “Otter populations have been recovering over the past twenty years and arenow reaching something like the numbers that they should be,” said Kate Williamson, Biodiversity Co-ordinator of the Snowdonia National Park Authority, who visited the lake to see the creatures for herself.

The news of their return has also been welcomed by Rhodri Dafydd, seniorconservation officer of the Countryside Council for Wales, based inDolgellau. “I’m delighted to see that otters have returned to Tal-y-llyn.As one of our most attractive mammals, the otter sits at the top of its food chain and is therefore an indicator of ahealthy ecosystem.

Their presence here shows that the habitats and water quality in this part of Cadair Idris Site of Special Scientific Interest can and do support a wide range of species.”The otters are now the unwitting stars of a video which is getting manyhits on Youtube. “We have filmed them, from a distance that does not disturb them, a number of times and they seem to be unbothered by the camera,” added Ricky Francis. “Our guests have been delighted seeing their antics on the small screen.”

Report, Video & Video Still Were Kindly Supplied By Ricky Francis - The Old Rectory On The Lake