A mother and baby otter were filmed at Ewhurst Park, their first visit in seventy years, showing improved water quality.
A video caught a mom and baby otter. They played, swam, and marked their territory. They also used bark to clean themselves. Rangers set up cameras at Ewhurst Park. This park covers 925 acres near Tadley.
Mandy Lieu bought Ewhurst in 2020. She is focused on nature and sustainability. She says nature is thriving in the park. Otters need clean water to live. Their presence shows water quality improved.
This reflects restoration work at Ewhurst Park. Beavers also returned to Hampshire in 2023. This happened after four hundred years. Baby beavers were born the following year. Ninety bird types appeared in 2024. Many are nationally threatened species needing help.
Many small mammals, butterflies, and reptiles live there too. Otters almost vanished in the 1950s. This happened because of industrial chemicals. These chemicals harmed top predators like otters.
The chemicals were banned in the 1970s. New laws protected otters. Their numbers are slowly increasing. In 1977, otters lived in seven percent of Hampshire sites. By 2009, they lived in thirty-seven percent.
Before now, no one saw otters at Ewhurst Park since the 1950s. Fiona Kenny manages Ewhurst’s ecology. She wants to restore the park’s ecosystem. The goal is a self-sustaining environment. The 2024 recovery was fantastic. This confirms they are doing things right.