14 June 2025

It was unexpected – a ‘Ring of Bright Water’ moment. For almost six years, I have been walking along the same portion of the Kinnessburn and have never seen … Well what did I see? At first it looked like an eel. There are eels in this water but the eel turned out to be a tail. It was an otter.

No one else was around to watch the otter’s spectacular acrobatics in the water. His back was so supple. His body twisted and turned in harmony with the flow of the water. Clearly, the otter was searching for food. At one point, he entered a pipe but reversed out pretty quickly!

What struck me about the otter was that on four or five occasions, he made eye contact with me or so it seemed. He looked up from the water as he looked around and caught hold of my eye. He appeared to be saying, ‘Who are you?’ or perhaps, ‘Are you coming out to play?’

Was this my imagination or is there a possibility that human beings may make connections with animals in the wild? In the book of Genesis we are given the privilege of naming the animals and having dominion over them like God’s dominion over us.

It is significant that when we are given a picture of the peaceable kingdom in Isaiah’s prophecy, it is a kingdom which features animals and their harmonious life together. ‘The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them’

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