After near-extinction in the UK due to pesticide poisoning and habitat loss, otter populations have recovered significantly, though ongoing threats require continued monitoring and protection.
The otter recovery story is one of Britain's great wildlife conservation successes, driven by pesticide regulation and water quality improvement. Individual otter welfare is strongly linked to river quality and prey abundance - otters in degraded rivers struggle to meet their high energetic demands. Road mortality causes traumatic deaths at river crossings and has driven installation of otter ledges under bridges. Continued monitoring and habitat protection are essential to maintain the recovery that decades of conservation effort have achieved.