Keeper Sarah Evans was right on the money when she spotted a mischievous otter playing with an old coin.
Sarah pictured above with the coin was cleaning out the Asiatic short-clawed otter enclosure when she heard the sound of metal clinking at the windows.
She explained: “Otters are naturally playful creatures and will make up games with everything. I heard a noise and noticed Dee-Dee, who is one of the youngest otters in the group, was juggling with the coin up against the window.
“When I took it off her I thought it was a two pence coin at first, but when I looked at it more closely I discovered it was an old size five pence coin, dated 1979, which she must have dug up from the ground.
“She wasn’t very impressed when I took it off her and stopped her game, but she soon found a pebble with which to carry on juggling.”
The larger pre-1991 five pence coin was withdrawn from circulation and demonetised in 1991.
