Moor Otters rounded up as live auction nears

Fans of the Moor Otters - life-sized otter statues painted in a variety of themes and colours -now have the chance to own one by attending a live auction later this month.

Hosted by fine art auctioneers Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, the auction will take place at 2:00pm on Saturday 30 September at the company’s Exeter auction house on Okehampton Street.

Art lovers can bid on the 31 ‘Golden Otters’, a selection of themed otter sculptures that have been decorated in various styles by a range of internationally-renowned artists. Amongst these is the sought-after Duchy of Cornwall Otter, a unique sculpture commissioned by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Potential otter owners are encouraged to visit the auction house on Friday 29 September, between 9:00am and 5:15pm, to view the ‘Golden Otters’ and appreciate these beautiful pieces of art one last time before they go to their new homes. The sculptures will also be available to visit from 9:00am on the day of the auction.

After spending over three months delighting visitors to Dartmoor National Park and the surrounding area, all 101 Moor Otters have been rounded up, ready to go to their new homes.

Keen collectors can place their bids early through the online auction which is currently live. All 31 ‘Golden Otters’ are available to bid on, alongside the main collection of 70 sculptures. Bidding on the ‘Golden Otters’ will end before the live auction starts, this will form the reserve at the live auction. However, bidders keen to own an otter from the main collection will have the chance to bid up until 6pm on Wednesday 4 October for their favourite.

Dave Southern, Project Manager for the Moor Otters campaign, said: “The Moor Otters project has been extremely successful and has encouraged people to visit places across the region that they may have never visited before. We have seen some wonderful photos from locals and tourists alike and it’s been fantastic to see people enjoying the art trail. We expect these sculptures to be incredibly popular at the live auction so I would urge Otter Spotters to get their bids in quickly to avoid missing out on owning their favourite.”

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood Auction Rooms is located at St Edmunds Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, EX4 1DU.

Launched in June, the Moor Otters project positioned 101 otter sculptures in various locations across Dartmoor and surrounding towns. The public arts initiative aims to raise £100,000 in support of Dartmoor National Park. Proceeds from the auction will fund projects to conserve and enhance Dartmoor’s wildlife and landscape, improve accessibility to the moor and develop Dartmoor’s Junior Ranger programme, which supports educational access and engages young people in conservation  projects.

To start bidding, visit: https://galabid.com/auction/otters