Otter rehab centre in race to rebuild on new site

Staff said they were "shocked" and "disappointed" to be asked to leave the current site in north Devon

An otter charity has six months to move and rebuild its specialist rehabilitation centre in north Devon after being asked to leave its present site, its founder has said.

The UK Wild Otter Trust (UKWOT) cares for hundreds of otter cubs every year at its current base, where it has been for four years, before releasing them back in to the wild.

Founder Dave Webb said the charity was recently gifted another area of land in the area, which it planned to move to if planning permission was granted, but volunteers would not have time to take existing enclosures down and it would cost tens of thousands of pounds to buy new materials.

The current site's landowner declined to comment.

The charity can care for 40 cubs at a time often orphaned after their mothers' have been killed in road traffic accidents

UKWOT currently has 20 outdoor enclosures, a cub hospital, two cub isolation rooms and five indoor cub rooms at its current site, which it does not have to pay and rent for.

The charity, which can care for 40 cubs at once, takes them in from across the country, often after cubs' mothers were killed in road crashes.

Staff said they needed to rebuild all of the existing facilities at the new site to be able to continue looking after the cubs.

Mr Webb said he was "shocked" when he was told the landowner needed the site back.

He said: "I'm not angry, I am disappointed. I'm extremely disappointed because we always thought this was going to be our home and centre for however long we needed it."

Mr Webb said there would not be enough time to dismantle the centre and they urgently needed to rebuild it so the otters had somewhere to be cared for.

He said the only option was to have most of the site demolished and "cut our losses, which is probably in excess of £40,000".

He added: "It's sad for us, it's sad for the volunteers, it's sad for the charity."