A pair of otters have been filmed hunting in the Kelvin and then playing "tug of war" with an unfortunate eel. 

Otters are a relatively rare sight in the waterways of Glasgow and suffered badly during the 20th century, with their numbers plunging between the 1950s and 1970s.

But conservation efforts have seen the sleek beasties return to urban rivers, although they are still hard to spot. 

Bob Elliot, director of the animal charity OneKind, was taking an early morning walk through Dawsholm Park when he glimpsed a pair of otters. 

He then hid behind in a tree in a wooded area, where he was able to capture footage of an adult female and a cub.

Mr Elliot told The Herald: "I am normally good at spotting wildlife, but was a rank amateur on this occasion. 

"I was walking over Dawsholm Bridge early in the morning and bumped into these two otters, but they spotted me and were scared off. 

"I went and hid on a wooded bank and they were right there on a log, so I managed to get video of them in a tug of war with an eel. 

"It was worth getting up at quarter to six in the morning. I was made up."

The animal expert said his otter sighting showed that conservation efforts were working. 

"This is a top predator, so its presence shows the cleaning up work has paid off. 

"If you have otters in the Kelvin, you have a food chain. 

"Eels were also declining too, so seeing both at the same time was amazing."

 "There's nothing like seeing otters on the river to show we can turn things around.

"The water is now much cleaner than it used to be. Let's not have any backsliding so we continue to see these animals in Glasgow."

Urban otters tend to be nocturnal, so you are most likely to see one close to dawn or sunset.