A cheeky otter has been filmed breaking into a Shetland home and causing a disturbance at family dinner time.
While the Mouat family was cooking monkfish tails up for their supper, they had an unexpected guest also looking for a snack.
Donna, husband Ryan, and children Geordie, four, and six-year-old Vaila originally spotted the animal outside their home in South Nesting.
But after going to take a closer look, they were shocked when the animal darted inside their home and starting making a racket.
The otter proceeded to make a mess of their kitchen worktops, knock over lamps and even rifle inside cupboards.
The whole experience made for an amusing video which was uploaded to social media by Donna last month, and has made the Mouat family something of local celebrities.
Dad, Ryan, who plies his trade as a local fisherman, was just glad nothing was broken.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, he said: “Surprisingly there was nothing actually broken.
“But we had a bowl of monkfish tails lying around the kitchen worktops which we intended to have for our supper, so I’m glad it didn’t go for them. We managed to salvage them for our tea.
“It managed to knock quite a few tumblers and things, but thankfully the damage was minimal.
“It was a bit of entertainment I suppose for the evening!”
Cheeky otter broke into Shetland home after getting taste for fish
Ryan theorises that his gallus guest had been feeding on fish outside his home for some time before attempting the break-in.
“I had fish sitting outside of the house and it had obviously been eating them,” he continued.
“We have a stream which cuts through our back garden, and the otters quite often go up from the sea to the loch just 20 yards behind our garden.
“I think it has probably smelt the fish, and decided to nip into the house in search for more.
“We see them quite a lot at the pier and around the boats in search of wee bits of fish, they don’t tend to get startled when you go near them.
“We find they are fairly tame. However, the ones you get in the country can get a little wild.”
The video has also made waves within their community – with the Mouat family beginning to be recognised.
Ryan added: “It’s mostly been my wife that’s been getting all the attention, after she posted the video somewhere online.
“There has been a lot of people contacting us about it, it’s made quite a stir!”
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