Otter pups out and about with family at Paradise Park in Hayle Cornwall

The four new otter pups at Paradise Park in summer 2024 are doing well and spending more time outside with the rest of the family.
These otters, also known as Short-clawed Otters, are very social and form large family groups where brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles all help in rearing young.
They communicate in little squeals and are very playful often rolling around with a pebble in their ‘hands’ or digging around a rock.
They are the smallest otters, usually weighing about 5 kilos or 11 pounds. Their diet includes fish, meat and crab which they love. They like to eat little and often with short naps between meals.
They are seriously threatened by rapid habitat destruction, hunting and pollution. Their population trend is decreasing despite being a protected species.