Beautiful town on the edge of the Lake District, terrorized by killer otters | Great Britain | News

Residents of a quiet British town in the beautiful Lake District are living in fear of hungry otters who have started wreaking havoc and feasting on their prized fish.

In Ulverston, Cumbria, the community has been hit by otter attacks and there are numerous reports of the creatures raiding ponds and decimating koi carp populations. Nigel Cooper, 61, experienced the horror first hand when an otter entered his pond two weeks ago and slaughtered seven of his fish under the cover of darkness.

Following the grisly mass die-off of koi, Nigel started a Facebook page dedicated to logging otter incidents, meticulously plotting each incident on a map.

Recounting the ordeal, Nigel said: “My wife looked out the window and there was a large otter about two meters from her jumping into the pond.”

“She was squealing and I thought there was a burglar, so I rang the bell in the living room where she was and chased the otter around the garden,” he continued.

“Then it scurried over the fence. He killed about four goldfish, two koi and three northern goldfish.”

“But we were lucky because if they get into your pond and are not disturbed, they can completely eradicate it. The otters even grab the big fish and drag them to a slightly quieter place, then they start slipping through them.”

“Some people are real koi experts, they can cost £20,000 to £30,000 each – they’re really expensive. The otters can eat thousands of pounds in one night.”

Former operations manager Nigel suspects a recent increase in the local otter population is driving them to seek new sources of food.

Nature lover Nigel expressed his amazement at the large population of otters nearby, sharing: “There are two or three breeding pairs of otters in the area and when they give birth there are up to three each breeding season Boy.”

“If they are really successful, they could have six puppies in two years and then reproduce. Suddenly their population starts to increase.”

He noted how this success has led to displacement: “The otters in the area have been so successful at breeding that they are displacing other otters.”

“They were forced to look for an alternative food source and stumbled upon a pond and thought it was good food.

“They have settled somewhere here but come to urban areas, take the fish and then return. It’s just a matter of finding out where they are.”

Even as an otter lover, Nigel admitted: “I love otters, but I think there are too many of them in the area.”

He has resorted to advising residents on defensive measures: “I’ve done everything possible – we saw it climb over a five-foot fence, so you need something to stop them climbing it.”

“We rolled up some chicken wire at the top so they can’t climb over the fence. We also blocked every possible hole.”