Cornwall sanctuary welcomes four otter pups

Keeper Becky Waite with vet Paul Hall and the four pups

A wildlife sanctuary has welcomed four otter pups.

The pups are the offspring of Pippin and Katarni, Asian small-clawed otters who arrived at Paradise Park in Hayle, Cornwall, in April.

Keeper Becky Waite said the pups had been checked by a vet "so now we know that there are three females and one male".

She added: "All are doing very well and mum is starting to teach them to swim in the pool."

Mum Pippin with one of the pups

Mum Pippin came from Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire and dad Katarni came from Tilgate Nature Centre in West Sussex.

Paradise Park said that soon after arriving they were gathering grass and straw to make a home in the holt where they live.

The Asian species is classed as vulnerable in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

They communicate in little squeals and are very playful, often rolling around with a pebble in their paws or digging around a rock, said the sanctuary.

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].