How many
otters are there on the Dwyryd? Whereabouts are they? What is the ratio of
males to females? To help build on existing knowledge and gain a fuller picture
there will be a weekend survey between 17th to 19th May
organised by Ceri Morris through the MISE project - Mammals In a Sustainable Environment.
In addition
to the weekend survey, which hopefully will involve at least twenty people,
there is a requirement for local volunteers to 'spot check' key sites over the
course of one year. All you need to be able to do is identify and collect otter
spraints (poo), put them in a bag, freeze them and send to Ireland (Waterford
Institute of Technology) for DNA analysis.
This builds
on the work that the Dwyryd Otter Partnership and subsequently Snowdonia Mammal
Group undertook a few years ago. An analysis of spraints showed amongst other
things that otters feasting on seafood could travel all the way to Trawsfynydd
before having to poo.
If you
would like to take part please contact Ceri Morris by email at: c.morris@ccw.gov.uk
Meanwhile
here’s a film clip of some Dwyryd otters in 2011.
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