At the end of 2019, I expressed the wish with two otter experts to offer otters more protection. This has resulted in further collaboration through the establishment of Otterholt.nl, of which Nestkastbouw Steffens is a part. Otters have multiple hiding places in their large territory. In England, such an otter's hiding place is called an otter holt. They are often natural cavities where an otter can rest safely and possibly give birth. Due to the frequent lack of natural cavities and hiding places along banks, otters travel huge distances in search of suitable locations to stay and raise their young. Disruption of existing natural shelters by humans and natural intruders also mean that otters have to move away again, even though the area is probably suitable. A disadvantage of wandering otters is that they often fall victim to traffic. It soon became apparent that certain authorities were interested in our ideas. For us, this was partly the reason to further develop and investigate this. We shared our idea with the Province of Overijssel and they were also enthusiastic. This resulted in a first assignment, with the Province of Overijssel as client. For more information, I refer you to www.otterholt.nl.
