Otters: Decline in the mammal is a 'wake-up call'

An unexpected decline in Wales' otter population is being described as a "wake up call" about the state of the UK's rivers.

The first national survey in more than a decade found fewer signs of the mammal on almost all waterways.

A check on numbers in England has now been commissioned in response.

After being wiped out in parts of the UK in the 1950s and 60s, the species had been recovering and was considered a rare success story for nature.

Experts are hoping to find out what’s behind the decline.