A QUEST to find the disappearing otter in Chile is being used to mirror the mammals' decline in the Dales.

Anna Craven, of Kettlewell, has just returned from a two-week trip to the South American country where she joined an Earth Watch project looking at the river systems and their role in the declining number of the otter species.

She was chosen for the trip through an Earth Watch millennium over 50s award scheme, and while in Chile, she lived out of a tent and endured sweltering heat during the day, cold nights and one severe storm.

Miss Craven said the threat to the species was extremely serious. "Otters are rare now in that part of the country because they are still being illegally hunted for their pelts," she explained.

"They are also facing a reduction in their food source through chemical pollution in the water system."

The project, headed by Dr Gonzala Medina Vogel, looked at the various habitats of the animal, their distribution and behaviour in order to be able to research ways of conserving them. The information will be given to the Chile government.

Back in Upper Wharfedale, Miss Craven aims to use the knowledge gained to halt the decline in otter numbers closer to home.

Working in conjunction with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, she said otters used to be seen widely in the Dales, and although there have been sightings near Bolton Abbey, much of the Wharfe has not been the mammals' choice of home for many years.

She said the group was planning to build an artificial holt to attract the animals back to the area and develop their numbers naturally. There is no policy to reintroduce them because it has been found to be unsuccessful.

She explained that otters were very solitary, territorial creatures who travelled and hunted over a wide area. There could well be only one breeding pair over several kilometres of river.

The group feels that by far the most successful way to increase the numbers in Upper Wharfedale is to build a holt and allow the inquisitive animal to choose it for its home.

The situation of the holt would be kept secret so it would not be disturbed by the public, although it is unlikely it would be anywhere near a footpath.

As part of the research into discovering more about their habitat in the Dales, Miss Craven wants to talk to the older generation who were brought up in the area about their stories and experiences of otters.

She said the interviews would be recorded and the data processed for use by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust before work on the holt began.

Anyone who remembers seeing otters around the Dales as far back as the 1950s is asked to get in touch with Miss Craven on 01756 760265.