IT’S not every day an otter walks into a post office or restaurant, but two cubs were rescued by the Scottish SPCA after doing just that in Fort William.
Male cub Roy, who is twelve weeks old, hid underneath the counter after wandering into a post office in the village of Caol on Thursday, February 16, while ten week old female Linnhe dropped by a seafood restaurant in the Highland town on Monday, February 20.
The young otters, who have been named after the nearby loch and river, and are now being cared for at the charity’s Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fife.
Centre Manger Colin Seddon said: “It’s highly unusual for one otter to walk into a public place, let alone two.
Dehydrated
“Roy and Linnhe have probably come from a water course nearby, possibly Loch Linnhe. “Because of their difference in age we know they can’t be siblings but they have obviously both come from the local area.
“It’s likely that their mothers have possibly been killed or frightened off and, because the cubs’ eyesight is very poor at such a young age, they have been unable to find them again.
“Both were dehydrated and in poor condition when they arrived in our care and they certainly wouldn’t have survived for much longer if they hadn’t been rescued.
“Roy and Linnhe will remain with us for around a year, as this is how long otters stay with their parents in the wild.
“These are the first otter cubs who will stay in our care for the full duration of their rehabilitation thanks to the opening of our new National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Clackmannanshire, which will be ready soon.
“Normally, we have to move cubs to the International Otter Survival Fund on Skye to complete their recovery but we’ll now have the facilities to enable them to develop until they’re ready to be released.”
Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
