Otter discovery? They were minks in those photographs - I used to shoot them with a friend

IN reference to your article headlined: “Otter discovery could sink boat club’s plans” (May 9).

Well, it did not, as the plans have been passed and the building can begin. And I am sure that it is not an otter in the photograph, it is a mink.

I used to shoot mink with a good friend of mine. There is difference between them, otter hair is more coarse than mink.

They can easily be mistaken as they are so much alike in the dark. But otters are light brown with white breasts, where mink is all one colour, dark brown and nearly black.

As the councillors said at the planning meeting, the boathouse is a great opportunity for Ely. We should welcome it with open arms.

In the past we were able to build on wild open spaces, for houses, large industry buildings, railways, roads and, yes, big cathedrals.

They were all once open fields with wildlife on them, but the wild life survived beside humans and will again down at Fore Mill Wash.

The boathouse will bring people to Ely to see rowing races, like the crowds go to Cambridge to see them.

EDDIE HOLDEN

Ely Road

Little Downham

Via e-mail