This piece was signed by Peter while he was visiting Newport! Peter is pleased to report that the playful otter is actually increasing in number in the U.K. Having been hunted for years, and then nearly wiped out by pollution and pesticides in the 1950’s, these semi-aquatic mammals do deserve a break! Otters have now been spotted in every county in England, although Peter has only seen one in the wild. 20%, written on the lid, refers to the otter eating up to a fifth of its body weight in fish each day. The interior portrays the remains of one of those meals. Holt, mentioned on the lid, is the name of the otter’s home. Its memorable Latin name, Lutra Lutra, is also inscribed.
The Eurasian badger, Meles Meles, is a mammal indigenous to most of Europe and to many parts of Asia. It is particularly abundant in Britain. Master Carver Peter Calvesbert says, “Maybe it is the solitude, but a large part of my crepuscular life has been spent watching these creatures.” Inscribed on the lid are “Hic...Hic…Hic….Hic…Hic”. These remind Peter of the first time he took his daughter Millie to see some badgers. He had stressed the importance of being very quiet, when she developed what seemed to be the loudest hiccups possible. Needless to say, no badgers were seen that evening. The interior portrays Peter, hidden in a bush, binoculars to hand, as a badger emerges from its sett.
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