Man snaps close-up photos of otters at Lower Peirce Reservoir, sparks debate over safe distance from wildlife

Man stands only metres away from otters at Lower Pierce Reservoir while taking close-up photos

A video of a man taking close-up photos of three otters at Lower Pierce Reservoir has ignited a heated discussion online about the respectful distance one should keep when photographing wildlife.

While many netizens deemed his behaviour acceptable, some remained concerned for both the man’s safety and the well-being of the otters.

Man gets up close with otters to take photos

On Friday (12 Dec), a video was posted on Facebook showing a man crouched by the shore, just around three metres away from three resting otters.

The man was using a long-lens camera to snap photos of the animals, appearing unbothered by his proximity.

As the video progressed, the man switched to his mobile phone to take more photos of the otters.

He inched slightly closer to the animals and even stretched out his arm in an attempt to get closer shots.

Throughout the encounter, the otters appeared unbothered and did not have any noticeable reaction to his presence.

According to the Original Poster (OP), the encounter took place a few months earlier.

They noted that the man had spent an “extended amount of time” photographing the otters.

Occasionally, the man also “made some sounds” to get a reaction from the otters, the OP said.

“Personally, my sense was that it was too close and disruptive, but I wasn’t sure if my thinking was unreasonable, so I didn’t say anything,” the OP wrote in the caption.

They then asked netizens for their opinions on the matter.

Netizens defend photographer, some express concern

Several netizens defended the man photographing the otters.

One user observed that the otters looked “comfortable” and “relaxed” in the man’s presence.

As long as he avoided touching or feeding them, the user’s opinion was that his actions were fine.

In the same vein, another commenter guessed that the man had likely approached the otters gradually instead of rushing towards them.

The user said this explained why the otters seemed “at ease” around him, adding that there was “nothing to worry about”.

Highlight that the otters usually did not show signs of being stressed, one netizen stated that the only issue was the photographer placing himself at risk of being bitten.

Meanwhile, one user said that it would only be clear how close “too close” is if the otters attacked, by which point it would be too late to do anything.

The user then advised the public to stay a safe distance away from the animals.

Another netizen also questioned why the photographer, who was using a long lens, felt the need to stand so close to the animals.

According to later checks by MS News, the OP has since taken down the video for privacy purposes.

They acknowledged that the public opinion about the man’s behaviour was divided, and said they would be following the matter with a poll.

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Featured image adapted from GentleDeer4602 on Facebook.