Otter scoundrels!

Chris Packham unmasks the hustlers of the animal kingdom

- HANNAH DAVIES, IAN MACEWAN

They may look cute, but sea otters are not averse to a spot of kidnapping, as Chris Packham reveals in this week’s Animal Einsteins, which is dedicated to animal con artists.

‘To us, it seems like a brutal piece of exploitation, but male otters get a free meal by taking cubs from females!’ he explains.

The hungry male’s strategy is to hold a cub hostage and only return it in exchange for food – a highly successful ploy.