Musing about otters

I took this picture in Derbyshire, in a sanctuary of otters and other animals. Otters are one of the staples of English wildlife, but I have never seen any in the wild. I have seen many of them, however, in captivity, in zoos or in sanctuaries like this one. I like them quite a lot. The lion is maybe the emblematic animal of Britain, but the otter would be more fitting. I say this without sarcasm or irony. There is no lion in Britain, not in the wild anyway. The otter, on the contrary, are very British indeed. They adapt easily to wet and cold weather, they are strong, resilient, capable, almost like a British version of a beaver. They don't build dams, but they are fine swimmers. And they are quite cute. So yes, I am a fan of otters.