# The Fable Of The Otter

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 28 Jan 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69559463/at465_thefableoftheotter_mixdown2.mp3

An otter encounters a group of humans and is warned not to trust them. Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yes, hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
[0:18] Speaker 1: where you suggest the animal for us to write a
[0:20] Speaker 1: story about. My name's Josephine, and I've got a brand
[0:24] Speaker 1: new animal story here just for you. There are over
[0:28] Speaker 1: four hundred and fifty animal tales now and all are
[0:32] Speaker 1: available on our premium service, alongside over eighty premium only
[0:37] Speaker 1: stories for a tiny fee. They are all advert free.
[0:43] Speaker 1: Summer is from the UK and she would like a
[0:45] Speaker 1: story about an otter. You can learn more about these
[0:49] Speaker 1: creatures in the animal facts after the story. Now, settle back, relax,
[0:55] Speaker 1: and I'll begin the fable of the Otter. There once
[1:02] Speaker 1: was a young otter called Summer, and she was as
[1:05] Speaker 1: bright and cheerful as the season she was named after.
[1:09] Speaker 1: Summer had reached an age where she was now old
[1:12] Speaker 1: enough to leave home and find a river of her own.
[1:16] Speaker 1: After days of searching, swimming up and down smaller rivers
[1:20] Speaker 1: that fed into the one she'd known all her life,
[1:23] Speaker 1: Summer found herself surrounded on both sides by a beautiful
[1:27] Speaker 1: pinewood forest. The tall pines and thick ferns around her
[1:32] Speaker 1: reminded her of the river she'd grown up in. Maybe
[1:36] Speaker 1: this could be her new home. But was it safe here?
[1:41] Speaker 1: At that moment, a duck appeared from the long stems
[1:44] Speaker 1: that grew on the river bank and let out a
[1:47] Speaker 1: surprised quack. Will a be he cried, A swimming weasel.
[1:54] Speaker 1: I'm not a weasel, Summer laughed, swimming closer, I'm an otter.
[2:01] Speaker 1: The duck looked her up and down, then chuckled. Of course,
[2:06] Speaker 1: the duck laughed, my apologies, so you are. It's been
[2:11] Speaker 1: a long time since I've seen an otter. This was
[2:15] Speaker 1: good news. If no otters lived here already, then Summer
[2:19] Speaker 1: could make it her home. Perhaps I should stay, Summer suggested.
[2:25] Speaker 1: I do like it here. I think you'd be most welcome,
[2:30] Speaker 1: said the duck. But I must warn you there are
[2:34] Speaker 1: humans in these woods, such curious creatures. You must not
[2:39] Speaker 1: trust them. I've heard of humans, nodded Summer, grateful for
[2:45] Speaker 1: the warning. They wore animal skins for clothing and carried
[2:50] Speaker 1: sharp pointed sticks. I'll make sure I stay well away.
[2:56] Speaker 1: Summer set about exploring her new home. It truly was
[3:01] Speaker 1: a remarkable place. The river was wide and deep and
[3:05] Speaker 1: full of life. The forest around it was thick and
[3:09] Speaker 1: noisy and full of wild life. It was exactly what
[3:13] Speaker 1: the otter had been hoping for. She even located a
[3:17] Speaker 1: hole in the mud of the river bank, hidden amongst
[3:20] Speaker 1: the reeds. Nobody lived there, and it was a perfectly
[3:24] Speaker 1: sized burrow for an otter. Happy with her find, she
[3:29] Speaker 1: left the hole, but instead of dropping into the water,
[3:33] Speaker 1: she thought she ought to explore the river bank above
[3:36] Speaker 1: her new home. Lost in her happy thoughts, Summer wasn't
[3:41] Speaker 1: paying attention to danger, and so walked straight out in
[3:45] Speaker 1: front of three humans. They were a little dirty in
[3:50] Speaker 1: the firs, their long hair pulled back out of their faces.
[3:54] Speaker 1: In their arms, they carried spears and bows, and one
[3:59] Speaker 1: held a basket full of fish. And they'd noticed Summer.
[4:05] Speaker 1: That's a strange looking stoat, said the first human. It's
[4:10] Speaker 1: not a stoat, it's a weasel, insisted the second. Careful,
[4:16] Speaker 1: don't get too close, said the third, with the basket
[4:20] Speaker 1: of fish. There are strange creatures in these woods, Somemmer
[4:26] Speaker 1: remembered the duck, saying not to trust them. With the
[4:30] Speaker 1: humans hesitating, she took the opportunity to escape, leaping from
[4:35] Speaker 1: the bank and into the water. The sudden action caused
[4:39] Speaker 1: the humans to cry out in surprise, clearly, not expecting
[4:43] Speaker 1: the animal to plunge into the river. Summer reappeared on
[4:48] Speaker 1: the far bank, turning to look at the humans, who
[4:52] Speaker 1: all looked on in astonishment. It swims like a fish.
[4:57] Speaker 1: The first human gasped, it was faster than a fox.
[5:02] Speaker 1: The second agreed, we must tell the others of this creature,
[5:07] Speaker 1: whispered the third. Summer watched them go. In future, she
[5:12] Speaker 1: would need to be much more careful. The day wore
[5:17] Speaker 1: on and Summer continued to explore pleasingly. She discovered a
[5:23] Speaker 1: fallen tree lying partly over the water and decided it
[5:27] Speaker 1: would be fun to climb on to it and look around.
[5:31] Speaker 1: This time, she made sure to look around carefully before
[5:35] Speaker 1: climbing the bank. The fallen tree looked solid and safe,
[5:40] Speaker 1: so she climbed up to enjoy the view. The river
[5:44] Speaker 1: looked beautiful from this height, and the warm sun on
[5:47] Speaker 1: her fur was pleasing. Summer was aware of a strong smell,
[5:52] Speaker 1: not one she recognized, but she couldn't see anything that
[5:56] Speaker 1: worried her, so she lay down upon the rough bark
[6:01] Speaker 1: and within moments closed her eyes. This was careless of
[6:06] Speaker 1: the otter, because she failed to notice two humans approached
[6:10] Speaker 1: the river until they bent down to drink. She may
[6:15] Speaker 1: even have gone unnoticed if not for her squeak of
[6:18] Speaker 1: alarm at seeing them so close. It's a small wet dog,
[6:23] Speaker 1: one of the humans said, or a large wet rat,
[6:28] Speaker 1: suggested the other. We should catch it, The first one suggested,
[6:34] Speaker 1: his voice dropping to a whisper. If we're quick, the
[6:39] Speaker 1: other replied. The humans lunged at her, forcing Summer to
[6:45] Speaker 1: leap into the thicket of leaves on the other side
[6:47] Speaker 1: of the fallen tree. She expected thorny stems and poking sticks,
[6:54] Speaker 1: but much to her surprise, she landed upon something soft
[6:58] Speaker 1: and warm. The sleeping bear was awoken, instantly rising up
[7:04] Speaker 1: through the thicket to defend itself from this unexpected intrusion.
[7:09] Speaker 1: In doing so, Summer tumbled to the ground, unnoticed. As
[7:13] Speaker 1: the bear came face to face with the humans across
[7:16] Speaker 1: the log. It has turned into a bear, one of
[7:21] Speaker 1: the humans cried, already breaking into a run. The second
[7:26] Speaker 1: was right at his heels. The bleary eyed bear, not
[7:31] Speaker 1: willing nor awake enough to give chase, watched them go.
[7:36] Speaker 1: It was only then that he noticed the trembling otter
[7:40] Speaker 1: not far from his feet. My apologies for disturbing you,
[7:45] Speaker 1: Summer squeaked. Don't mention it, replied the bear. I'm always
[7:51] Speaker 1: happy to give a human a scare. Are you an otter?
[7:56] Speaker 1: Summer nodded her reply. Don't seem an otters around here,
[8:01] Speaker 1: he said thoughtfully. A word of advice, Steer clear of
[8:06] Speaker 1: those humans. They create stories around the things they don't understand.
[8:12] Speaker 1: I say they're not to be trusted, Somemmer nodded again
[8:18] Speaker 1: as the bear went on his way. She didn't understand
[8:22] Speaker 1: his talk of humans and stories, but was grateful to
[8:26] Speaker 1: have come through the encounter unharmed. She decided it would
[8:31] Speaker 1: be best for now to return to the safety of
[8:34] Speaker 1: the river. By now, Summer was feeling hungry. Luckily, the
[8:40] Speaker 1: river was alive with fish, and that meant a tasty
[8:44] Speaker 1: meal was never far away for a skilled otter. She
[8:49] Speaker 1: caught the biggest fish she could see, dragging it into
[8:52] Speaker 1: the shallows to eat it. But before she could start,
[8:56] Speaker 1: another human approached the river from the opposite bank. His
[9:01] Speaker 1: hair was white, and he walked slowly, wading knee deep
[9:06] Speaker 1: into the water. Summer, still clutching her catch, remained perfectly still,
[9:13] Speaker 1: so it took a moment for the man to spot her.
[9:17] Speaker 1: That's a big fish you've got there, little one, the
[9:20] Speaker 1: man observed. The man's hands were empty, carrying neither spear
[9:27] Speaker 1: nor bow, and he was keeping his distance, with the
[9:31] Speaker 1: deeper water between them. Summer felt safe. She watched as
[9:37] Speaker 1: the man leant into the water and lifted a rock
[9:40] Speaker 1: to which several fresh water mussels were attached. He then
[9:45] Speaker 1: produced a flint knife from a pouch at his side
[9:48] Speaker 1: and began to pry the shell fish from the stone.
[9:53] Speaker 1: Summer liked mussels inside their shells. They were soft and delicious,
[10:00] Speaker 1: although difficult to get at. This human, though, was collecting
[10:04] Speaker 1: them with ease. Would you like to trade, the old man, suggested,
[10:11] Speaker 1: your big fish for a handful of my mussels. Summer's
[10:16] Speaker 1: mouth watered. She really did like mussels, which were hard
[10:21] Speaker 1: for her to get but easy for the human. Fish
[10:25] Speaker 1: would be a better meal for the human, but they
[10:28] Speaker 1: were harder for him to catch. It was a good trade,
[10:33] Speaker 1: but she reminded herself of the words from the duck
[10:36] Speaker 1: and the bear, do not trust the humans. And yet
[10:42] Speaker 1: this old man didn't appear to be a threat. Surely
[10:47] Speaker 1: she could be careful. Summer disappeared beneath the surface swimming
[10:53] Speaker 1: fast despite her load. For a moment, the man thought
[10:58] Speaker 1: she had swum away, until he realized she'd appeared a
[11:02] Speaker 1: little further upstream on his side of the water. The
[11:07] Speaker 1: otter placed the fish on a half submerged rock, then
[11:11] Speaker 1: disappeared under water again. The man let out a surprised
[11:16] Speaker 1: laugh as he collected his fish. A promise is a promise,
[11:21] Speaker 1: he said, and deposited a handful of the fresh water
[11:25] Speaker 1: mussels on the rock before returning to his spot. Summer
[11:30] Speaker 1: was then confident enough to reappear and claim her prize.
[11:35] Speaker 1: She plucked up a mussel and began working with her
[11:38] Speaker 1: claws and teeth to get at the meal inside. Thank you,
[11:44] Speaker 1: said the man to the otter as he climbed from
[11:47] Speaker 1: the water. Perhaps we can trade again some time, hm,
[11:54] Speaker 1: thought Summer. Maybe not. All humans were not to be trusted.
[12:01] Speaker 1: A week later, Summer had settled in nicely. She missed
[12:06] Speaker 1: her family, but her new stretch of river was providing
[12:10] Speaker 1: everything that she needed. Occasionally she would see the duck
[12:15] Speaker 1: or the bear and remember their warnings, and she would
[12:19] Speaker 1: try to understand the bear's words about humans and their stories.
[12:25] Speaker 1: Occasionally she would see the old man and just as
[12:28] Speaker 1: carefully she would make another trade. She was much more
[12:33] Speaker 1: alert when it came to the other humans. They were
[12:37] Speaker 1: often drawn to the water, so she made sure to
[12:40] Speaker 1: stay hidden or to swim away unseen. But then one
[12:45] Speaker 1: day they took her completely by surprise, arriving in a
[12:50] Speaker 1: manner that she could never have expected. They were traveling
[12:54] Speaker 1: on the water. There were two of them, a young
[12:59] Speaker 1: boy and girl, each in a bowl shaped boat covered
[13:03] Speaker 1: in animal skin. Summer couldn't know it, but these were coracles.
[13:09] Speaker 1: The children steered the coracles with their hands in the
[13:13] Speaker 1: slow water, moving almost silently, which meant that Summer didn't
[13:18] Speaker 1: notice them until they were almost upon her. There it is,
[13:23] Speaker 1: the boy, whispered to his companion. That's the river Guardian
[13:28] Speaker 1: we've heard tails about. The girl smiled broadly. It can
[13:34] Speaker 1: swim like a fish, but also walk on the land,
[13:38] Speaker 1: she said, with admiration, And it can shape shift, becoming
[13:44] Speaker 1: another animal if it chooses, declared the boy to Summer's
[13:49] Speaker 1: surprised ears. Is it dangerous, asked the girl. Not if
[13:56] Speaker 1: we show respect, warned the boy. Grandfather said that as
[14:01] Speaker 1: long as we respect the river, the Guardian will give
[14:05] Speaker 1: us its blessing. I wish it would catch me the
[14:09] Speaker 1: biggest fish in the river, just like grandfather's grinned the girl.
[14:16] Speaker 1: Summer didn't think the fish she had caught for the
[14:18] Speaker 1: old man had been that big, even so, she sat
[14:24] Speaker 1: up straighter, holding their gaze. The coracles were being pulled
[14:29] Speaker 1: down stream by the river's floe, carrying the children slowly
[14:34] Speaker 1: past the otter, and as they passed, the two humans
[14:38] Speaker 1: bowed their heads in respect. Please, Guardian of the river,
[14:43] Speaker 1: grant us safe passage, the boy said, And grant us
[14:48] Speaker 1: good luck, the girl added quickly, not really sure why
[14:54] Speaker 1: she did it, Summer dipped her head in reply, looking
[14:59] Speaker 1: relig but happy. The two humans sailed away, never taking
[15:04] Speaker 1: their eyes from her until they were out of sight.
[15:09] Speaker 1: So this was what the bear had meant. Humans really
[15:14] Speaker 1: did make up stories in their eyes. She was now
[15:18] Speaker 1: a shape shifting river guardian. I'll fancy that. And it
[15:24] Speaker 1: would seem that, just maybe the duck and the bear
[15:28] Speaker 1: had spoken too hastily when they warned her not to
[15:31] Speaker 1: trust the humans rather than fear them. The humans had
[15:36] Speaker 1: shown her respect, and in return she had done so too.
[15:42] Speaker 1: To Summer, this seemed like a much better way to live,
[15:47] Speaker 1: and so the otter who never truly thought of herself
[15:50] Speaker 1: as a guardian of the river, but was amused by
[15:53] Speaker 1: the title all the same, settled into a comfortable but
[15:57] Speaker 1: respectful routine, and because of a little respect, otter and
[16:04] Speaker 1: human could live happily together. Animal fact, the otter in
[16:15] Speaker 1: our story is a Eurasian otter, although there are another
[16:19] Speaker 1: thirteen different species of otter found throughout the world. They
[16:25] Speaker 1: are amazingly graceful and fast in the water, using their
[16:29] Speaker 1: webbed feet and flexible bodies to steer and chase after
[16:34] Speaker 1: swift swimming fish. They'll also eat frogs, worms, eggs, shell fish,
[16:41] Speaker 1: and even birds and small mammals if they can catch them.
[16:46] Speaker 1: Otters were at great risk of extinction due to the
[16:49] Speaker 1: pollution created by humans, although efforts to clean up our
[16:54] Speaker 1: waterways have seen them bounce back. As long as we
[16:58] Speaker 1: do our part, they should be here to stay. Thank
[17:02] Speaker 1: you for your suggestions, Summer. We hope that you all
[17:06] Speaker 1: enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening in the world, don't
[17:10] Speaker 1: forget to look at our Animal Tales books over on Amazon.
[17:14] Speaker 1: Great bedtime reading, especially if you've discovered the joy of
[17:19] Speaker 1: reading for yourself. Make sure you join us next time
[17:23] Speaker 1: for another great animal tale. Good Bye,

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