Beaver seen chasing off otter in 'amazing' footage

Night-time footage has emerged of a face-off between a beaver and an otter, giving an "amazing" glimpse into their world.

The otter was sniffing around a beaver home, called a lodge, at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall when the beaver chased it off.

Four beavers, two adults introduced in 2023 and their two offspring, called kits who were born in 2025, live in a 22-acre enclosure at the gardens near St Austell.

Toby Davies, wildlife coordinator at the 200-acre estate, said: "It shows that the beavers are really established in their habitat, and that they want to protect their home from potential predators."

It is thought the otter got into the enclosure through a culvert which is too small for the beavers. Many species of wildlife such as badgers and deer also share the enclosure with the beavers.

"It was pretty amazing, really, we know there are other wildlife species within that enclosure, but we never quite understood the actual interaction," said Davies.

The clip shows what looks like playful chasing near a lodge, but Davies said it is something else entirely. "It was more so a territorial thing, really," he explained. "So one of the adults was trying to chase him off.

"That otter really could have been a potential predator for the younger beaver kits," Davies said. "So, it's nice to know that they're very protective, and that they're thriving down there as well."

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