All About Magazine - Issue 17

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A young otter cub brought into Shropshire
Wildlife Trust’s visitor centre in Shrewsbury on 23rd
December was just one of the casualties of our winter
floods. Found on the Rea Brook and brought in by
a concerned member of the public, we arranged
for it to be collected by the RSPCA, who took her to
Stapeley Grange, its specialist rehabilitation centre in
Cheshire.
Limp and exhausted on arrival, she is now recovering
well – along with her brother, who was separately
rescued. In a few months time, when they are ready
to lead independent lives, they will be released back
into the river where they were found.
These are the lucky ones. Five adult otters were found
dead on roads around Shrewsbury in December,
killed by traffic as they left the turbulent river and
attempted to cross bridges. When you consider
that the total population of otters in Shropshire is
estimated to be around 40 animals, you realise how
significant this is – and there are very likely more road
casualties that we do not know about.
They will recover, as they have fromprevious disasters.
Otters slowly clawed their way back from the verge
of extinction across England in the mid 20th century,
when organochlorine pesticides leached lethally into
our rivers from farmland.
Their numbers had already been severely affected by
otter hunting, which became a fashionable past-time
in the 19th century. With a ban on these dangerous
pesticides and the outlawing of otter hunting in
1978, these wonderfully intelligent animals have
returned to every county in England.
The end of otter hunting and trapping has slowly
brought a change in their behaviour. Sightings of
this famously secretive, nocturnal creature in broad
daylight are growing quite common.
Just last summer, an adult dog otter entertained
hundreds of watchers standing on the English Bridge
over the Severn – at lunchtime. The presence of this
magnificent, wild creature in the heart of town is
thrilling.
Let’s hope the return of those two young cubs to the
river will soon help bring a revival in their fortunes.
Flood woe for otters
by Sarah Gibson -
Shropshire
Wildlife Trust
Newport branch of Shropshire Wildlife meet second Tuesday of the month at Church Aston Church Hall, Newport
Dog otter in the River Severn in Shrewsbury - Picture courtesy of Andrew Fusek Peters
ALL ABOUT MAGAZINE | FEATURE 25