A Scottish wildlife expert has hailed footage of a rare white otter, taken in a back garden in Kilmarnock.
The amazing video shows an albino or white otter, which biologist Paul Yoxon said seems to have an injury on its back, possibly caused by a confrontation with another otter.
Based at the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) on the Isle of Skye , he said that albinism, caused by a lack of pigment, is very rarely seen in otters.
The increased visibility puts the animal at a distinct disadvantage, he said.
Dr Yoxon was blown away by the video.
He said: I have seen a few photos of albino otters in the wild but never any footage like this clip.”
The IOSF has become the world’s foremost authority on otter behaviour, habitat, persecution and conservation and say they want people throughout the world to be as appalled by otter persecution and hunting as we are towards tiger and rhino hunting.