Otters in your pond?
Protect your fish now! PDF Download

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For a long time, otters had almost disappeared from our environment. Habitat protection and species conservation measures and regulations have happily led to an increase in their numbers since the 90s. Unfortunately, the increase in otter numbers has led to conflicts with recreational and professional anglers as well as with ornamental and farmed fish pond owners.

Whilst the otter is seen as only a minor pest in the fish farming industry, some areas suffer from significant losses.

Here at electric-fence.co.uk, we can help you find a solution to your otter problem! Our team specialises in electric fence systems that have been developed with defense against otters in mind. Depending on the situation, we offer a variety of accessories that you can use to reliably secure your pond. We will be happy to put together a package of fence accessories just for you!

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Wild animals such as wild boar, raccoons, martens or wolves are spreading out ever further and causing huge damage! We are a competent point of contact specialising in questions of animal deterrents. At electric-fence.co.uk we offer reliable solutions to protect you from damage caused by wild animals!
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We will be happy to help you make your decision – whether by providing detailed product descriptions on our website or through direct consultation with our knowledgeable electric-fence.co.uk team.

Protect your pond now! PDF Download

At the Otter Centre in Hankensbüttel, Aktion Fischotterschutz e.V. has spent years working on ways to deter otters. The only method proven to be effective is to enclose the fish ponds using an electric fence.

When they touch the electric fence, otters receive an electric shock. This shock is not dangerous, but is still very unpleasant, and means that they will keep their distance from the fenced area in future. Fisheries associations and environment ministries have confirmed this finding and also recommend the use of electric fences to provide effective protection against otters! Ideally, an electric fence used for defence against otters will reliably keep otters away from the pond without posing a danger to people or animals. The fence should also be simple and affordable to erect and not look out of place in the landscape. The basic braided wire fencing and electric net fence is suitable to deter otters.

Simple braided wire fence (LZ)

Simple polywire electric fences consist of four live conductors approximately 10 cm apart and tensioned between electric fence posts. Benefits of this type of fence include a low initial outlay, ease of assembly and effective deterrence. There is no danger of amphibians becoming entangled in the wires. They can still reach the pond unhindered.

Metal fence posts are used for simple polywire fences. These are easy to install and remove, mechanically durable and UV-stable. (Item no. 42220.4) The garden posts (Item no. 45606.10) are extremely flexible with freely adjustable insulators and are best set to heights of about 10, 20, 30 and 40 cm for defense against otters. Their dark green coating makes them visually perfect for gardens.

If you wish to put an access gate into your electric fence or include corners into your plan, then you should use a permanent fence post at these points such as the Allround Metal Post (Item no. 44386) so as to ensure the fence remains stable. The insulators are attached to these using metric screw threads (Item no. 44327) at four heights at which the conducting material will run.

Polywire is a particularly suitable conducting material (VOSS.farming HPC series). Otters will generally approach the electric polywire carefully and touch it with their sensitive noses and paws. Energisers with a voltage of 3000 V will therefore be entirely sufficient.

Electric net fence (NZ)

The conducting mesh netting of an electric net fence provides both a mechanical and physical barrier and will keep otters away very reliably. The net fence is easy to put up and take down as well as being good value for money. If you have other small animals wandering into your protected area such as hedgehogs or roaming amphibians, then it is possible to turn off the bottom conductor on the fence so as to allow these creatures to pass.

The 65 cm small animal electric netting in our Green Line range (Item no. 27229) offers the best protection against otters thanks to its high-quality construction and very narrow mesh. The inconspicuous green colour allows it to be installed around your pond without looking out of place. Additional posts (Item no. 27231) and pegs (Item no. 27233) are used to hold the netting in place.

Corner posts for your electric net fence are exposed to high tensile forces. In order to withstand these forces, you should use one or two NetFix struts (Item no. 27310). You will need to disassemble part of your electric netting to reach your pond e.g. when feeding the fish. This can, however, affect the electricity supply to the fence and should therefore be avoided. A convenient and particularly secure option for providing access to the pond is our patented fence netting door. (Item no. 27402). The door for the fence netting has a narrow mesh electric netting and can be easily installed at any point in your electric netting. The power supply does not need to be turned off in order to open the door, ensuring the fence keeps its full shock strength.

You should use a 3000 V energiser. They are sufficiently powerful to keep away naturally very cautious otters without injuring them.

Overview of fence components: