THE first sighting of an otter in Longleat Forest near Warminster has delighted rangers and staff who are hoping the rare species could soon move in among the Center Parcs tourists.

The aquatic animal was captured by cameras earlier this month.

James Monk, senior conservation ranger at Longleat Forest, said: “Although there were a couple of unconfirmed sightings by staff earlier in the year, the discovery of prints near the perimeter fence and droppings on the banks of our sports lake confirmed the presence of otters.

“Two trail cameras were set up, one overlooking an area where prints had been found, the other trained on where we suspected the otter was entering.

“After nearly two weeks we eventually captured two images of the otter, taken about an hour apart from each other, which means the otter is actively hunting for food.

“At the moment I think it is just coming for food but it would be fantastic if they did settle here. We’re well chuffed and excited that they’ve been spotted.”

Mr Monk added: “We have not created a habitat specifically for otters, but we created the lake system when Longleat was constructed 20 years ago, which covers approximately 16.5 hectares.

“Our sports lake has been stocked with fish as an activity for our guests and this is probably the reason why we have an otter turning up on the village.

“The good news is that we have a habitat suitable for foraging otters.”

Otters typically have a territory of 11km which can be found along rivers and coastal areas although they do travel over land to reach other pockets of water.

Nationally otter numbers suffered a sharp decline in the 1960s and 70s due to pesticides, loss of habitat and hunting.

They were almost 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.