A garden pond in Norfolk has been removed after an otter helped itself to over 200 fish worth around £10,000.
Linda and Alan Brown owned the 6000 gal. pond at their home in Thetford. It was well stocked with Koi and goldfish, along with Mirror carp and other fish, and was a haven for wildlife.
Unfortunately, not all the wildlife visiting the pond turned out to be fish-friendly and while the couple were away for several weeks visiting family in New Zealand an otter made a meal of many of its residents.
Some of the fish killed were 25 years old and weighed up to 28lb. The otter left half eaten and bitten fish all over the garden and decking — over 200 were killed in total.
A neighbour who was looking after the pond had the grim task of clearing away the dead fish.
The couple were so heartbroken that they have now drained and removed the pond from the garden.
Mrs Brown said: "We had a good fence around the pond, a net over the top, but there is no way you could stop an otter getting in.
"We will not see the same wildlife visiting our garden any more because we are not giving the otter another chance to kill or mutilate any more fish.
"So much for someone’s wonderful idea of reintroducing otters into the rivers so we can see more wildlife."
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