Adorable rescued otter 'jumps for joy' upon release back into the wild

An otter separated from its mother after a storm leaped into the air as it swam away after being released back into the wild by the sanctuary that rescued him.

In video posted to Twitter by the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary in Shetland, Scotland, little Grant the otter is seen jumping for joy when he reaches the water.

"A ball of energy, full of life and fun from Day One," the sanctuary wrote on Twitter after the release.

"And when we released him, just watch him go! Never seen the like", they added.

Jan and Pete Bevington, who run the sanctuary, said they rescued Grant after a thunderstorm in August 2019.

He was found in the middle of the road at just two months old.

"The family who found him had heard an otter crying for its mother all night, so knew it needed help", they said.

"From the start Grant was full of life and full of fun and we have no doubt that he will thrive now he is out on his own."

The Bevingtons said Grant gradually went from being bottle-fed to eating whole fish, eventually moving into an outdoor pen.

Baby otters typically spend a year with their mothers, so the sanctuary decided to wait until now to release him.