Otter

Along with the red squirrel, the otter is one of the region’s ‘conservation flagship’ species.

Otters used to be widespread across the Northwest and the UK but are now one of our most endangered species and are protected in England and Wales.

They will inhabit any unpolluted body of freshwater, including lakes, streams, rivers and ponds and, thanks to efforts by a number of conservation organisations and bodies such as the Environment Agency, numbers in the region are again starting to increase.

There are populations now at Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District and at Leighton Moss near Silverdale in Lancashire, as well as some of the region’s river catchments such as the Lune, Hodder and Ribble in Lancashire and the River Dee in Cheshire.