The otter: Hard to miss. Its coat can be floral, bright green or hidden under a suit and tie. It can be spotted in pubs, airports and train stations.
No, not the usual description of the shy and retiring otter – but these are very special otters and part of the Moor Otters Trail!
100 wonderful pieces of art have been created by talented artists from the local region and other parts of the UK to make up the Moor Otters Trail. The otter was chosen as it is one of the indigenous species that was close to disappearing from Dartmoor, but is now making a strong comeback.
The website features a gallery of all 100 otter designs, do have a look as it is great fun to see all the different ideas that have been painted onto the blank otters.
The 100 Moor Otters have been placed around Dartmoor, gateway towns and other surprise locations. If you can track them down there are some great prizes on offer.
Use the Otter Trail interactive map on the Moor Otters website to find as many Moor Otters as possible.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even win your very own Moor Otter. Create your own Moor Otter design to be in with a chance to win a blank otter statue. Full details on the website.
Of course, the most important thing about Moor Otters is what it is in aid of. Dartmoor National Park is a protected landscape that people come to enjoy, but it is fragile and needs to be cared for. Dartmoor is an important reserve for some very rare plants and animals and is home to over 50% of Britain’s population of several globally threatened species.
Dartmoor provides an important stronghold for otters, one of the globally threatened and protected species. The otter has made a comeback on Dartmoor over the past 15 years and the area now supports nationally important populations of this well known and loved mammal.
At the end of the summer, the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise funds to support conservation projects in the National Park. You can also bid for an otter online.
Happy Otter Spotting!
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