It may be best known for its famous lions and other exotic species, but it’s a rare native animal which is currently causing excitement among keepers at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park.

For the past week, staff at the Wiltshire attraction have been reporting sightings of a wild otter close to a stream which runs through the centre of the estate.

And, despite being renowned as one of the country’s most elusive mammals, Longleat’s director of animal operations, Jon Cracknell, managed to grab some photos of it playing in the water.

“We’d started getting reports earlier in the week that an otter had been sighted and keepers had spotted some footprints and other signs down by the water’s edge,” said Mr Cracknell.

“However, I really didn’t think we’d be able to actually get some photographic proof so quickly. The pictures aren’t great but it was dark and this is such a privilege to see such an elusive native mammal in our very own waterways."

Keepers plan to set up a series of camera traps alongside the stream in the hope of getting some more images of the otter and to see whether it’s a lone animal or part of a group.

Mr Cracknell added: “We spend a lot of time, energy and resources trying to make the entire estate as attractive as possible for a wide range of native species.

“It’s fantastic to know that all that effort is working and hopefully this will encourage more wild otters into the surrounding areas to re-establish a stronghold here on the borders of north east Somerset and Wiltshire."

Historically otters were hunted for their fur which was highly prized, this alongside being hunted for ‘sport’ and to protect fish stocks meant the number of otters across Britain and in Wiltshire and Somerset declined dramatically in the late 1950s and 1960s. Pollution of watercourses through pesticides also had a big impact on otter numbers.

Although populations are now slowly starting to recover, they remain fragmented.