It’s the morning after the final date on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour and – following some tearful farewells to his fellow dancers – we’ve taken reigning champion Hamza Yassin for a restorative walk in one of Glasgow’s dear green places. He’s ditched the sequins for his more usual, practical outdoor wear and, walking stick in hand, he’s climbing down the side of a narrow brook, poking at mossy roots and branches. In terms of wildness, Pollok Park may not compete with the natural history filmmaker’s home in the remote west coast of Scotland… but that’s not to say there aren’t surprises to be found.
Well within the promised 10 minutes, there’s triumph. Poo has been located, proof of otters secured. “There! There’s the bit of scat! It’s just a little tiny bit, but you can see they’ve been along this particular branch. They would want to spraint [otter dung] on a high bit for the scent to travel. From that one sniff a male will know everything about the female: if she’s in season, if she’s not, how old she is. And it’s all from a scent place like
