Unlikely friendship between otter and fox ‘better’ than John Lewis Christmas ad

A viral video of an ‘unlikely friendship’ between an otter and a fox could give the new John Lewis Christmas advert a run for its money.

Facebook users have compared CCTV footage of the animals running together through the streets of Lincoln to the tear-jerking Christmas advert, which depicts the relationship between a father and his son.

Cameras captured the pair navigating the city in the early hours of the morning.

The council posted the video on Facebook, earning more than 420,000 views and over 7,000 likes.

One user said: ‘Better than a Christmas John Lewis TV advert’.

Another said this was the ‘best use of CCTV ever’, adding: ‘I felt so sad for the fox when the otter went back in the river, hope they get to adventure together the next night.’

While one resident thanked the council for sharing the footage.

‘How delightful to see that,’ the local said.

‘We often see a pair of ducks waddling about but this is amazing. Don’t think we’ve had an otter daring to enter the shopping area with a fox.

‘Thank you so much for sharing! Yes, proud to be Lincoln.’

Steve Nichol, chief executive of Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Boston, described the sighting as ‘highly unusual’, adding the duo had to be seen to be believed.

‘It’s so odd and those animals would never been seen hunting in the same areas. If anything they’d be fighting each other rather than walking around the shops,’ he said.

‘You might see the odd fox around a city centre but to find an otter in a populated area is highly unusual.’

The council wrote: ‘Our CCTV staff work 24/7, 365 days a year to keep Lincoln and all its inhabitants safe.

‘They see families enjoying the city, friends making memories, and every now and then, an unlikely friendship blossoming.

‘This week, they caught one worth sharing.

‘It’s not quite the new John Lewis Christmas ad, but here, filmed in the wee small hours, is a short film of a fox and an otter and their little tour of Lincoln together.’

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