Despite the fact that otters are generally very shy animals, one was spotted in the River Somer in Midsomer Norton town centre last Thursday and drew quite a crowd. The resulting video clips put on Facebook resulted in the Midsomer Norton Otter going viral – with over 800 likes on The Journal's Facebook page and nearly 12,000 people watching the video footage of the animal in the river.
Whilst otters are present on the River Somer, you would normally expect them to keep to quiet areas upstream of Midsomer Norton Cricket Club or downstream of the Leisure Centre, where their normal food sources (wild fish, small birds, eggs, amphibians and small mammals) will be in greater abundance.
However, the fact that one is visiting the High Street indicates that it considers the habitat worth exploring and sparked a fierce debate by the angling community.
But ways to enhance the river, its wildlife and ecosystem are being looked at. Paul Myers, Mayor of Midsomer Norton, said this week: "It's great to see how excited local people were by the visit. The river improvements have brought nature into the very heart of Midsomer Norton and into the hearts of local residents. Looking to the future, there is a great opportunity for people to get involved with more river habitat improvements in the New Year on Wellow Brook.
"The Environment Agency has provided a small amount of funding to the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust and Wild Trout Trust to improve our local river by increasing the habitat for trout and to help our community become more involved with the river."
The work on Wellow Brook in Welton, led by the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust and Wild Trout Trust, will include vegetation clearance so that the river is more visible and making a series of willow hurdles to provide shelter for fish. No experience is necessary, it's all very simple and the organisers will show you what to do – volunteers can do as much or as little as they like.
To get involved in the forthcoming Wellow Brook Project in the New Year, please ring Ian Mock on: 01179 314160, mobile: 07411 488084 or email: [email protected]">[email protected]