A DEAD male otter has been found at the junction of Eller Beck and the River Aire in Skipton, much to the astonishment of local wildlife lovers.

The body, badly decomposed, was found by farmer and fields sports expert Carl Parkinson, who told Daelnet: "It was very large dog otter, with webbed feet, so there is not chance of my mistaking it for a mink.

"Wild mink are not uncommon in the Aire Valley but I have never seen or heard of otters being here."

Carl contacted Daelnet countryside commentator John Sheard, who this morning reported the find to the Environment Agency.

Said John: "I fish the Aire regularly and have never seen an otter there. The fact that carcass was found virtually in Skipton is quite astounding. If the animal is making a come-back here, it is a tremendous success for the conservation movement.

"However, because the carcass is badly decomposed, it is very difficult to ascertain the cause of death. I thought it important to contact the Environment Agency to see if they could organise a post-mortem. Let's just hope it died of old age, rather than being shot or poisoned."

Otters are known to travel long distances overland from waterway to waterway. They have been seen on the River Lune at Kirkby Lonsdale and attempts are being made to re-introduce them to the Upper Wharfe.