It's World Otter Day - here's what you otter know

Save Our Bride Otters group in Blackpool, Cork, marks the occasion, while a species of otter previously thought extinct has been rediscovered in Argentina

An otter. by the banks of the Blackwater river, Mallow. Pic Jimmy Howard

Today is World Otter Day, an international day of celebration for a fondly beloved denizen of our riverbanks and coastal areas 

Otters are an alpha predator, and especially thrive in Ireland, full as it is with waterways and endless coastline.

The animals' proliferation in Ireland has been attributed by conservationists to a reduced historic usage of pesticides compared to Britain and other EU states.

This is good news in particular for the Eurasian otter, which has survived here as its numbers decline elsewhere in the region - estimates range between a population of 16,000 and 20,000 on the island.

In Cork, one group is raising concerns about the impact of redevelopment and city planning on the city's otter population.

Save Our Bride Otters has been bringing attention to the plight of otters living along the river Bride, flowing through the city's Blackpool area, should planned flood-relief measures go through without amendments.

“Out of the 11 that use Cork City, eight individual otters use the River Bride in Blackpool. These are the so-called Pana Otters, native to the City," says Paddy Sleeman, a spokesperson for the group.

A screencap from the 'Cork Otters' short, documenting the lives of the Pana Otters

"A proposed heavily engineered OPW flood scheme will turn the River Bride into a drain, effectively destroying an entire ecosystem. The scheme will have a permanent negative impact on all wildlife using the river corridor, including otters.”

The group is challenging the decision granted to the OPW to proceed with the scheme in early June. For more information on the group and how you can contribute, click here.

Earlier in this year's ongoing lockdown, the Pana Otters' plight was highlighted with a short film, simply entitled Cork Otters, which followed the elusive creatures along the city's quays.

Released in February of this year, the ten-minute short documentary is available to stream below.

Elsewhere in the world, a wild giant river otter was recently spotted in Argentina by observers at Fundación Rewilding Argentina - the first seen in the area since the 1980s, and long since presumed extinct in the region owing to hunting and habitat loss.

“It was a huge surprise,” said Sebastián Di Martino, director of conservation at Fundación Rewilding Argentina to the Guardian's Graeme Green.

“I was incredulous. An incredible feeling of so much happiness. I didn’t know if I should try to follow it or rush back to our station to tell the others.”

Otters have a vital role to play in balancing nature, wherever they are in the world. 

“Giant river otters, as top predators, exert a regulatory influence in the aquatic ecosystem,” continued Di Martino. “It’s a spectacular animal, and it’s enormous; it can be 1.8 metres long. Adults weigh over 30kg. They’re trusting and curious. To share the environment with them is marvellous.”