European Otter / Lutra lutra / Madra uisce

European Otter / Lutra lutra / Madra uisce

As elusive as they are cute the European Otter has made a home in Castlewellan Forest Park. Active all year round, the best time to spot them is early morning as they play and hunt in the lake. If you are not an early enough riser to spot them you can find evidence of their exploits through the presence of “slides” into the lake and spraint (droppings), which they leave in prominent places as a mark of territory or scent message to help them find mates.

Otters are considered apex predators as their diet consists of fish, crustaceans and amphibians. They require clean water systems and plenty of vegetation and terrestrial habitat to create their holts (underground burrows) where they raise their young.