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The project will be investigating European Otter (Lutra, lutra) breeding seasonality in the UK and the influencing factors. Previous studies conducted in Europe have noted seasonality peaks based on prey availability (Kruuk et al 1987 and Bajo, 1996), however Otters are thought to breed all year round in the UK (Chadwick & Sherad-Smith 2010), although this observation has previously been based on roadkill carcasses or sightings. I aim to look at seasonality trends through a collection of mass data, including photographs, camera trap footage and newspaper articles on a national scale.

1. I am looking for an otter rescue centre to help provide a significant amount of measurement and age data from all their cubs which have been taken into rehab. I am also seeking a small number of reference pictures to compare the size. This is to help create a methodology that will age a wild otter pub for a birth date estimation.

Wokingham Borough Council do not hold this information. We don’t run an Otter rescue centre and we aren't aware that there is one within Wokingham Borough.

The countryside service don’t have any data or photographs of otters within the borough although we do know we have a sustainable population due to regular sightings over the last few years however, this is not recorded and just from conversations that have taken place from residents. We would advise that you contact the UK Wild Otter Trust, Berkshire Mammal Group (http://berksmammals.org.uk/) and/or the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (https://www.tverc.org/cms/) as they are more likely to have a pool of photographs, footage, and information from multiple local sources and are already used to supporting academic research.