MOOR OTTERS TRAIL 2021
Dartmoor National Park once again organised a very successful Moor Otters Trail, this time featuring a painted sculpture of an otter with her cub. 81 otters were placed all around Dartmoor National Park, in the gateway towns and as part of the Mayflower Trail in Plymouth. Each one was painted by a different artist, and members of the public were encouraged to become “otter spotters” and visit as many as they could. They were to be found in shops, pubs, visitor centres and other buildings with public access.
Buckfastleigh Town Council was delighted to once again support this wonderful initiative by sponsoring and hosting 3 otters: Everything is Connected was located in the Town Hall; Agnes and Olave was in The Living Room; and Salmon Run was at Buckfastleigh Swimming Pool. The Town Hall Otter was one of 25 special “Golden Otters” (auctioned at a live event) and proved to be very popular with the otter spotters who came from far and wide.
Businesses and visitor attractions in and around the town were pleased to report that being part of the Moor Otters Trail helped to increase visitor numbers this year – a welcome boost to the local economy in these difficult times.
At a thank you event at Bovey Castle, attended by Judith our Town Clerk, it
was announced that this initiative raised nearly £70,000 through the sale online and by auction of all the otters. These funds will go towards improving access to the moor (footpaths etc.), restoring biodiversity, preserving historic sites and encouraging young people to become involved in conservation projects.
You can watch a video made by Dartmoor National Park about the Moor Otters here: https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/enjoy-dartmoor/moor-otters. It includes our own Town Clerk talking about the Buckfastleigh Town Hall otter.