We’ve found a golden little corner of the internet, occupied by otters!
Cape Town, South Africa (22 April 2026) – An Instagram account, @otternonsenseinkom, has spent the last three years sharing the most wholesome videos of an otter family that frequently visits a home in Kommetjie. Sometimes they arrive in small numbers, sometimes in droves of eight or nine. They’re there for one reason only… to swim and play in the pool!
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Their antics are otterly adorable.
“We live on the coast in Cape Town and we are blessed to have this family of otters that come and share our pool with us in the evenings. Their visits are always a surprise, usually heralded by one of the dogs having a bark at the door,” shares the family.
For years, this same group has chosen this family’s pool as their favourite hangout.
When they’re not in the water, they’re often spotted on the deck preening each other, or rolling in the sand after a snooze in the nearby dunes. They tend to visit at night, but more recently have been seen taking a splash in the mornings too.
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Having otters regularly make use of your pool is special, but the species – specifically the Cape clawless otter – is actually far more common in Cape Town than many people realise.
These animals have somewhat adapted to living alongside people in parts of Cape Town, particularly around the city’s canals, rivers and wetlands. The V&A Waterfront even has its own growing population of so-called “urban otters”. They have become particularly well known, but there are several territories along the waterways of the Mother City.
Sadly, the species is listed as Near Threatened due to threats like habitat degradation, water pollution, poaching and encounters with domestic animals. Organisations like TOA and The Owl Rescue Centre are working hard to protect them.
For this family, though, they’re safe along their stretch of the Cape where they’re free to fish, kick back in the sand, and splash about in the pool.
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