Environmentalists in the county said they were shocked and described the incident as "bizarre".

The animal, which had its tail and a leg hacked off, was found by a roadside near Callington on Tuesday.

It is not clear how the otter died, but the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it believed that the leg and tail were cut off to be taken as trophies.

'Real shock'

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

After the last mutilation, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it was a "wholly unacceptable practice".

Kate Stokes of the trust said: "We had real shock to find another such case. After the press coverage of the last one, we're surprised that people still want to do that.

"It is just bizarre, and begs the question of who would want to chop off its tail in this day and age."

The incident was reported to the police, the trust said.

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.

The county has seen a series of attacks on otters in recent months.