A 26 foot high wicker otter is making quite an impact in a west Wales town.

The sculpture, which stands at the Welsh Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran, near Cardigan, has been compared by some to Anthony Gormley's 65 foot high Angel of the North.

Unlike the steel of the Gormley work, which stands next to the A1 in Gateshead, the otter is made entirely of natural materials.

Artist Michelle Cain created the otter out of willow, hazel, oak and ash to mark the first birthday of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. The new trust was created when the West Wales Wildlife Trust and the Glamorgan Wildlife Trust merged.

The centre, which is owned by the trust, will take down the giant otter and sell it off to raise funds at the end of the summer.

Completed on site

The creation of the giant otter took careful preparation, explained Michelle Cain.

'Firstly, I built the inner frame or skeleton with hazel and Somerset Willow. I then completed the head and used its dimensions to proportion the rest of the structure,' she said.

The otter was then lifted into position by a group of volunteers and Michelle completed the bottom half of the otter on site.

'The project took about seven weeks and most of the wood came from the local reserve,' added Michelle.

Otters are a common sight at the Cilgerran centre.

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales is the largest of six trusts in Wales. It is responsible for over 1,000 nature reserves.