Authorities in riverbanks across the country have come together to announce a clampdown on otter moms panhandling with their babies.
This comes as a relief as I have a personal interest in seeing this problem eradicated.
As I strolled down the bridleway last week, I was horrified to find an otter mom blocking my path. She’d appeared our of nowhere, brandishing a small, smooth pink bundle. I think it was meant to be crying but it had fallen asleep. The otter demanded cash to “help feed the young’uns” before it would move.
The otter had misjudged me of course, and its attempt to tug at my heartstrings and loosen my purse strings (figure of speech, I do not carry a purse) were doomed to failure. With a tut of disapproval, I pushed past and continued on my way.
But others may not have been so fortunate.
It seems I was not the only person to have endured such an ordeal. Otters have clearly identified a new trend in human panhandling, and decided that since their babies are “cuter” they can follow suit and expect equal or even greater success.
River users of all species have reported a recent surge in incidents like this, and as a result, authorities have finally felt compelled to act. Starting next week, undercover river police will be patrolling the rushy and reedy areas of the riverbank in order to identify the culprits.
Those otters found misusing their babies in this manner will have them taken into care, and probably re-homed with the beavers. Not that they’re particularly trustworthy either, but desperate times call for desperate measures.