We welcomed a lot of visitors to our Bike Hire on Inis Oírr last weekend, but no one expected this last one!
The summer ’21 season got off to a great start as the weather combined with the easing of restrictions to facilitate travel, resulting in a busy June bank holiday.
Just as we were winding down on Monday evening, we had one last, rarely seen guest. This otter wandered into our bike shed looking for a safe place to rest. After a good clean and a long nap in the corner it headed off again once it got dark. I guess the sudden increase in activity had exhausted it. It was Otterly amazing! 🙂
Otters (Gadhar Uisce in Irish) are very elusive creatures. They can be recognised by their labrador like head and powerful webbed feet. The species found in Ireland is the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra. It lives in coastal and freshwater areas and is a protected species listed as “vulnerable to extinction”. Ireland is regarded as a stronghold of the species.
Otters have a varied diet but those on the Aran Islands tend to forage at low tide for rockling, wrasse and sea urchins. You can find out more about Irish otters on the Conserve Ireland website