Police are investigating illegal trapping in a Norfolk river after the discovery of a dead otter.
Otters are a protected species and cannot be killed in any circumstances and can only be caught under a licence issued by Natural England.
Rural crime officers were alerted after a dead animal was found in the area around Bressingham and Fersfield in south Norfolk on September 4.
Further investigations have established the otter is believed to have died from being caught in an illegal trap.
Police said enquiries are continuing and are appealing to anyone with information to contact the OP Randall Team via email on OperationRandall@norfolk.police.uk.
It comes after Environment Agency (EA) fisheries enforcement officers recently removed three illegal crayfish nets, which other wildlife can get entangled in, from the River Yare.
In 2020 a young otter, which became a popular sight in the River Wensum, was found dead in an illegal crayfish trap in Norwich.
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