A brazen otter has enjoyed what is surely the most expensive fish supper ever eaten in Angus.
Martyn Wells, from Colliston near Arbroath, has been keeping a collection of Koi in his fish pond for 20 years.
But he woke up on Sunday and was horrified to find 17 half-eaten bodies of his expensive fish left strewn in the pond and around his garden by a rogue predator.
Mr Wells, who runs a security firm, left the mangled bodies and set up a game camera with night vision in a bid to catch the offender.
He watched the footage back on Monday and saw a rogue otter swimming around playfully and feeding on his previous kills.
The otter came back for the next three nights.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wc-vxUlev9w%3Frel%3D0%26controls%3D0%26showinfo%3D0
Mr Wells, who has lived in his house for 22 years, said he won’t contemplate replacing his expensive hobby until he knows the otter is gone.
He said: “I went out to feed the fish but I couldn’t find them so I went up to the other end of the pond.
“They were scattered in the water the heads had been taken off some and the bellies off others.
“I put out a game camera on Sunday and couldn’t believe it when I watched it back. I’ve lived here for 22 years and I’ve never seen an otter before.”
Mr Wells said he believes there is a nearby reservoir where the otter could be staying.
Asked to put a price on his Koi collection, Mr Wells said it would be “impossible”.
“The market value can be anything up to £3,300 for a Koi,” he revealed. “These fish can live for up to 60 years and they will be expensive to replace.”