but for many others, it has come too late. after decades of population growth, the number of ottters are now falling and experts fear it could be the same story in england and scotland. our environment correspondent steffan messenger has more. if you ever come across an otter in the wild, count yourself very lucky. these elusive animals try their best to stay hidden. for ecologists like eleanor and mia it means some detective work is required to get a sense of how the species is faring. yes, definitely. yes. delight at the discovery of an otter s droppings. it s got a very distinctive smell and that s for otters to find other signs of other otters but also helps us to track where they are in