A nervous baby otter who is being trained to swim

The three-and-a-half-month-old Asian short-clawed otters, based at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth, Hampshire, would normally follow their parents into the water in the wild.

But the trio are proving to be quite timid about taking their first dip in a specially-built pool.

Keeper Mat Clark has been assigned the job of teaching the youngsters what should come naturally.

He said: "So far both of the otter parents have been absolutely fantastic - very caring and attentive.

"However this is the first litter that any of them have had to raise and its absolutely crucial that the youngsters become comfortable in and around the water as quickly as possible."

They are naturally extremely inquisitive creatures and I'm hoping they will conquer their nerves and jump in Keeper Mat Clark In Pictures: Otters taught to swim

Asian short-clawed otters are highly social and intelligent animals.

They can be found throughout southeast Asia, where it has been said fisherman train them to drive schools of fish into their nets.

"Roughly half of their enclosure is full of water and we need to be confident that they can fend for themselves both above and below the surface," added Mr Clark.

The keeper is using some of their favourite foods, including crayfish, squid and peanuts to tempt them into having a paddle.

"My plan is to get the adults into the water with me and then wait for the babies to venture out and join in the aquatic activities," said Mat .

"They are naturally extremely inquisitive creatures and I'm hoping they will conquer their nerves and jump in."