Over the past week, reports that the rare amphibious mammals have been spotted in a Denbighshire pond have flooded in.
Council officials believe the otter may have swum to the county through the River Clwyd, which is in full flood.
They think t
he otter could be seeking alternative food at a pond in the Rhyl area.
The preferred diet of the otter is fish, in particular eels, both of which are found at the pond.
A council spokesman said: "The habitat is of the right type and the food source in abundance, but otters are usually notoriously shy and there is a question mark over whether they could cope with the visitor pressure on this busy site.
"Although there have been sightings during daylight hours the otter is most active during the hours of darkness.
"The fishermen who are on site 24 hours are most likely to see the otter and the council is relying on them to feed back information, to determine whether the otter is male or female."
As part of ongoing conservation work Denbighshire Countryside Service, in conjunction with local groups, is planning to build an artificial otter holt near the site, which may encourage the otter to stay permanently.
The spokesman added: "With ongoing improvements in environmental management and habitat creation, it is now proving to be a very important site for many of our more protected and vulnerable species."
The full article contains 257 words and appears in Evening Leader Wrexham newspaper.
