Flash and Flood are very lucky otter cubs after surviving separation from their mother during heavy rain in Inverness.
Named by the Scottish SPCA, the male and female, who are around ten to twelve weeks old, are doing extremely well in the care of Scotland’s animal welfare charity.
Flash and Flood were rescued following heavy rain
On 11 May Elaine Bailey and her husband heard the sound of screaming outside their Nairn home and knew an animal needed help. They discovered the pair urgently gripping onto the side of a burn before contacting the Scottish SPCA for help.
Elaine said, “We had to watch as one of them was carried away by the current, which was so upsetting.
“Thankfully, after we called the Scottish SPCA for help their animal rescue officer was able to save the remaining cub and then find the one who had been washed away by following its cries.”
The siblings were taken to the charity’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross, Clackmannanshire.
Centre manager Colin Seddon said: “Otters usually remain with their parents until they’re around a year old so these cubs are far too young to be on their own and wouldn’t have been able to survive in the wild.
“Flash and Flood are very healthy and are really thriving in our care.
“They’re being kept together which is ideal as otter cubs depend on interaction with their own kind to help them develop behaviourally.
“We take a hands off approach here as we need these youngsters to maintain their natural fear of humans so they can eventually be returned to the wild.
Flash and Flood will remain at the rescue centre for roughly nine months, after which the SPCA hope the siblings will be released back into their natural environment.
Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
