Otter cub found alone and crying now ‘quite lively’ in RSPCA care

A young otter cub found alone and crying out for his mother is recovering after being taken in by the RSPCA.

The cub was spotted on August 10 at a stream near Windermere. A member of the public called the RSPCA after the cub remained still for several hours.

RSPCA inspector Martyn Fletcher was sent to the scene, and was concerned that the baby otter did not attempt to escape when approached.

The animal rescuer managed to capture the cub and took him to a nearby vet.

“Windy seems to be quite lively now in our care so his condition will be monitored and he will be cared for until he is ready to be released back into the wild,” Mr Fletcher said.

Windy was transferred to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire, where he was named for the lake close to where he was rescued.

His condition will be monitored. Once he is fully recovered and old enough, he will be returned to the wild.

Mr Fletcher said: “I have no idea why the otter was alone and wonder if his mother has been killed, perhaps in a road accident.

“Windy himself seemed in good health but there was clearly something wrong with him as the person who spotted him said he did not move from the spot where he was sitting for a few hours.

“Checks showed he was in good condition and of a good weight… but he did have flystrike, and if the eggs had hatched he would have had maggots in his body and wouldn’t have survived.

“I am grateful to the member of the public for reporting this to us when he did… rescuing and rehabilitating animals like this is such an important part of what we do as a charity.”