Ian Parsons talks to us about Tarka Revisited.
Your book marks 100 years since Henry Williamson published Tarka the Otter. What inspired you to revisit Tarka’s world?
I live by the river Taw in Devon, one of the two rivers in the area that Williamson set his book, the 'Tarka' name/brand is well used in the area from street names to rail services, so the book's legacy is ever present. I can't remember exactly how I discovered the book was coming up for its centenary, but when I did I started thinking about what had changed in those 100 years. The more I thought about those changes the more the idea for a book developed.
A lot has changed in the British landscape over the last ten decades. In your opinion, what is the single biggest difference between the rivers Tarka swam in and the rivers British otters navigate today?
A difficult question to answer, the immediate thought of many would be pollution, but as my book shows, we have been polluting our waterways for a very long time with the industrial revolution rendering some of these lifeless long before Williamson was even born. For me the biggest change is us and our presence on waterways, other than when they were trying to kill him, Williamson's Tarka never encountered humans, today the real Otters of the Taw will encounter humans on every stretch.
During your research for the book, did you come across any information that genuinely surprised you?
There was a lot that surprised me! I think the biggest surprise was just how blind we are to the extent that we are polluting our waterways continuously, especially with sewage sludge that we liberally apply to our fields (that produce the food we eat) in Britain, despite the fact that many other countries have either heavily restricted its use or banned it altogether.
Tarka Revisited touches upon modern-day urban living for otters. What unique challenges and surprising advantages does an urban ecosystem present to a species traditionally viewed as entirely wild and secretive?
Otters are increasingly being found living along urban stretches of rivers in Britain, probably the biggest challenges for them in this environment are the levels of disturbance (be that noise or close presence of humans etc) and being able to find sites in which they are able to rest and breed. As my book explores, Otters don't build their own holts, they need to find a suitable site they can use, but they are adaptable and many of the constructions that we build into the urban river environment have been adapted and exploited by them. There are opportunities for Otters (and other wildlife) in urban environments if the animals can overcome the challenges and we are prepared to give them a bit of space.
Of your time spent in the vicinity of these elusive creatures, does any experience stand out as favourite or most memorable?
I think my most memorable encounter with an Otter is the one I describe at the beginning of the book, it was just magical. Well it was to me, the Otter wasn't bothered!
Otters are currently common across most of Britain. If you could look forward another 100 years, do you feel optimistic about their future?
I would like to be optimistic, but there are clouds on the horizon that could impact Otters and other wildlife. 100 years ago nobody could predict the cataclysmic decline that Otters would suffer due to agricultural chemicals in the 1950s and 1960s, a decline that they still haven't fully recovered from in parts of the South East of England. No one knows how the current flood of chemicals in our environment (especially PFAs) is going to affect Otters in the long term. As with all wildlife species, we can coexist with them, but we need to allow them to live, we need to give them the space they require. If we can do that, then we can also be optimistic about their future.
Order your copy of Tarka Revisited here.
