CENTER Parcs at Longleat Forest welcomed some shy and elusive guests last week, as a family of otters were spotted on site.

Footage captured on a hidden camera shows a mother otter and her three pups hunting and exploring around the tourist destination.

Cameras were set up along a trail last year after footprints of an otter were spotted by rangers, with one of the animals later captured on film in a first for the area.

James Monk, senior conservation ranger at Center Parcs Longleat Forest, said: “We are so excited to see these wonderful creatures for the first time on our camera.

“The presence of otters tells us that we have a thriving ecosystem and that all our hard work over the last 22 years continues to pay off.

“We believe the otter family is a mother and her three pups from last year, soon the young otters will leave the group and go it alone but we feel privileged that that have decided to spend their last few weeks as a family unit, with us.

“We are hoping that, as the mother is introducing her pups to the wider world, one of them may set up home on the Village.

“We are currently looking at ways to make the Village more attractive for these amazing creatures.”

A female otter can have between one and four pups, who are dependent on her for at least 13 months.

The species almost became extinct in England by the 1980s, but the banning of certain pesticides in 1979 and a ban on hunting in 1978 helped the population grow.

In 2011 the Environment Agency announced the species had been recorded in every county in England.