Donnington Grove welcomes our new furry member

Donnington Grove made the news last week as golfer Steve Gridley and his friends discovered a fury creature admiring their game! Steve was walking back from the 18th tee towards the club house when he saw a rare otter sitting on the wooden bridge. Mr Gridley said ‘As soon as it saw us it ran to the far side of the bridge, slid down the bank and into the water and disappeared. We just stood there in amazement.’ There have been attempts at re-colonising in the Hungerford area but a spokesman for the Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust said “This must be the first recorded otter in this area for many years.” Otters are solitary, nomadic creatures and very territorial. During the daytime they lie in secure resting sites, usually amongst tree roots or dense scrub. Otters can breed at any time of the year although most cubs are born in winter. Environment Agency spokesman Duncan Revell said: ‘This is fantastic news. The presence of otters is a very good indicator of the environmental health of a river. “It reflects good water quality, habitat and food supply.’

Donnington Grove is very proud to have an environment at such a high standard to cater for these rare mammals. Having these creatures around is a representation of how clean and well maintained our grounds are. If you are lucky enough to spot an otter on our grounds please let us know as we would love to hear of anymore sightings, even better send a photo in for us to post on the blog!

A full article regarding the re-colonising of otters in the Hungerford area is available on the Newbury Today website along with footage of the otter in action.