Conservationists said the animal's tail was removed deliberately

Its tail was cut off as a trophy, conservationists said.

The county has seen a series of attacks on otters, including one being found dead after being thrown off a cliff at Perranporth, and one being shot.

Otters are relatively rare and protected by law. The South West's network of waterways, many undisturbed, provides an ideal habitat.

It is not clear how the otter died, but the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said its tail had been removed deliberately.

Hundreds of pounds

Kate Stokes of the trust said: "I'd assume that the tail was collected for a trophy collection. But it's a wholly unacceptable practice, especially as it is a recovering species after nearly being wiped out in the 1950s."

Otters are popular with most people but not all because they sometimes find easy prey at fish farms where ornamental carp can be worth hundreds of pounds.