There Otter be a Law!

By Lardeau Valley Time on November 21, 2014 • ( 3 )

There ought to be a law against excessive cuteness in nature. But there isn’t, thank heavens. And as a result we are blessed with the river otter.
Just when I was getting ready to put my long lenses away for the winter and to start thinking of snowfall photos and foggy days, a reprieve!
The last time I saw the river otters in my area was about three or four years ago. And just like this time, I had to scramble for my camera and hunker down on a cold, raw day to try and capture their incredible celebration of life. These animals, although as ruthless as any other mammal, are gifted with the ability to have fun together in their day to day existence. Now whether they actually ‘play’ like the raven or dolphin I don’t know. But their rollicking, tumbling antics look like fun to me.
This time there were five otters down by the lakeshore on a wharf. I only got to photograph four as the fifth had just caught and eaten a fish and then headed back out onto the lake. I suspect it was the male adult and it was going to keep an eye on the intruder (me).
The other four were uncertain about me for a couple of seconds, literally, as they slide back into the water. But very quickly were back out on the deck chasing each other. And rolling around over and under their fellow otters.

The other adult, I think, still took time to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings.

They played follow the leader, leaping down the wharf..

Oops!

And then tried to get their act together and all charged towards the end of the dock – sort of! But even then it seemed hard for them to concentrate on their objective.