The UK Wild Otter Trust swiftly sprang into action to rescue two tiny orphaned otters, one of which – now named Tinsel – weighed less than a bag of sugar.
The two Eurasian otter cubs, which were found in different parts of the country – Norfolk and Wiltshire – were rescued within days of each other at the beginning of December after concerned members of the public alerted Devon-based charity UK Wild Otter Trust.
Aptly named Tinsel and Star respectively weighed just 750g and 1.1kg when they arrived at the charity’s dedicated facility but have now both gained a healthy amount of weight, says UK Wild Otter Trust founder, Dave Webb:
“Both cubs are doing really well, but we’re lucky to have found them when we had. It seemed as if both otters had been without their mothers for a significant amount of time – usually an indication that she’s been killed, often on the road – so without intervention, they wouldn’t have survived for much longer.”
The charity says otter cubs have a better chance of thriving once they’re re-released back into the wild if they’re paired up:
“With these two cubs being found at such similar ages – around three months old – they make a great pairing opportunity. We’ve started the process of introducing them to one another, and suspect they’ll be fully paired and in the same enclosure within a week or so. This will give them the best chance of survival in the wild when they’re big and healthy enough to be released in just over a year.”