Orphaned otter cub laps up kitten milk at Shetland sanctuary after being rescued from middle of road

A month-old otter is being nursed back to health at a Shetland sanctuary after its mother was run over by a car.

Harry was found stranded in the middle of the road on the island of Yell, near Herra, on Saturday.

The young cub was picked up by a passer-by and taken to Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary on the mainland.

A dead otter was spotted nearby, which is believed to have been Harry’s mother. She had been hit by a car.

He is now being looked after by the expert team of Pete and Jan Bevington who have been rescuing animals since 1987.

‘He was obviously starving’

Mr Bevington said once Harry arrived at the sanctuary he was given kitten milk.

“He guzzled down a load of that straight away. He was obviously starving,” he said.

“He’s sleeping a lot and we’re feeding him every few hours.

“Now he is a bit more reluctant to eat. We think he’s just getting used to kind of being in captivity and in addition to the whole shock of losing his mum and everything.”

In a post on social media, the sanctuary shared videos of Harry when he arrived and drinking milk.

Watch Harry first arriving at the sanctuary below:

Stopping the otter from ‘imprinting’

However, Mr Bevington says that special care needs to be taken when looking after otter cubs.

“The thing with otters is that they can imprint very quickly on humans.

“While you’re bottle feeding them, you have to be very much a mother to them.

“But then as soon as they’re showing signs of being able to take fish, you have to break that connection, so that they don’t bond.”

He stressed it is needed to ensure the otters don’t become too friendly with humans and start approaching them for food.

Are Shetland’s otters in danger?

Shetland is home to around 800 to 1,000 otters, making it one of the most densely-populated places in Europe for the animal.

But their large numbers have caused them some problems.

In March, a marine biologist made a plea for road safety after 10 Otters were reported dead on the roadsides in a week.

He said there needed to be more otter crossings or tunnels installed to them travel safely.

Mr Bevington said: “There are a lot more otters getting killed on the roads in Shetland these days.

“This time of year is always a difficult time because twilight tends to coincide with the rush hour.

“So, otters are moving about and they are often difficult for drivers to see.”

When will Harry be released?

It will be some time before Harry is old enough to be released back into the wild.

Otters usually spend the first year of their life with their mum, so Mr Bevington said Harry will need to spend a similar amount of time at the sanctuary.

They are looking to release him in August.

The sanctuary now has a dedicated otter unit and Harry will move in there after he no longer needs bottle feeding.

Follow along with Harry’s journey to return to the wild on the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary Facebook page.