Marsupial caught breaking in to backyard centre to eat koi carp

A garden centre is counting the cost after a hungry otter broke in and ate more than £10,000 worth of its Japanese ornamental Koi carp.

Richard Scarr, owner of Paddock Farm garden centre in Dalton Gates, Darlington, said CCTV cameras captured the culprit on film, leaving with a fish in its mouth.

Footage shows the ‘dog-sized’ mammal scurrying out of the pond water late at night with his prey and casually strolling away down the garden path.

Mr Scarr discovered the headless bodies of the fish by the side of the pool earlier this year and was forced to move his fish inside after the animal had obliterated their entire stock of the carp.

A devastated Mr Scarr, who has worked at the garden centre for 12 years, said his staff had tried everything to catch the otter and keep it out but had failed with every attempt.

CCTV cameras captured the culprit on film, leaving Paddock Farm garden centre in Dalton Gates, Darlington, with a fish in its mouth

Footage shows the ‘dog-sized’ mammal scurrying out of the pond water late at night with his prey and casually strolling away down the garden path

He said: ‘It has obliterated our entire stock of Koi carp, and many other fish at the centre.

‘I discovered the headless bodies of the fish by the side of the pools. Staff have tried everything to catch the otter, which is as big as a medium-sized dog.

‘He got all of the Japanese Koi in the main pond. The worst thing is they don’t eat the whole fish, they just eat the heads off them because they like the brains.

‘Awful to say the least to come down in the morning and see that. We tried everything we could, we were trying to get up early in the morning to catch it, but we just couldn’t find a way.

‘We put new fences up, we did whatever we could, but we just couldn’t keep him out no matter what.

‘We have taken the remaining fish, including a couple of sturgeon, and placed them inside but this has impacted the look of the centre.’

Garden centre cameras have not picked up any footage of the otter since the end of January, but Mr Scarr remained too afraid of the animal returning to put the fish back outside.

He added: ‘The lack of fish outside has led to negative reviews online. But we hear of neighbours and other people getting their fish taken by the otter so it’s just not worth risking it again.

‘We’re just giving it as long as we dare give it, but obviously it’s not great.

‘People are coming around the gardens, obviously the ponds look a bit neglected because they’re empty.

‘It’s that sort of catch-22 as a business owner as to whether I put more fish out there, but it’s how you protect it.’

Staff at the garden centre (pictured) had tried everything to catch the otter and keep it out, but had failed with every attempt

The animal has even wrecked the pond’s liner, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Mr Scarr said he had contacted the Wildlife Trust for help catching the otter, but they said nothing could be done.

On social media, Grounded Reality said: ‘Really glad you didn’t catch the otter, as unless you had a licence you would have been breaking the law.

‘Otters are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. This means it’s an offence to wilfully kill, injure, capture or disturb otters except under licence.’

Pink Reader said: ‘Otters are part of nature and they feed on fish, wherever they can get them from. Food keeps them alive.

‘They don’t know that some humans only want to make money out of the fish, and other humans want to keep the fish trapped in ponds because they think they are pretty.’