Orphaned otter cubs to be re-released into wild

The otters were found and taken in by RSPCA officers when they were five weeks old

A pair of otters who were orphaned after their mother was run over are set to be re-released into the wild.

The cubs, one male and one female, were found alone at five weeks old near Castle Howard, York, in March 2023.

The otters, who were hand-reared by RSPCA officers for 14 months, are due to be released at an undisclosed Yorkshire Water site on the banks of the River Ouse.

Rob Scrivens, from the RSPCA, said they had found the perfect "forever home for our abandoned otters".

The siblings, who were cared for at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Nantwich, Cheshire, were placed in an enclosure next to the release site to allow them to get familiar with their new surroundings.

The pair would be released in two weeks if conditions are considered safe for the otters, the RSPCA said.

Mr Scrivens said: “This is the third time we have worked together [with Yorkshire Water] to identify the best available habitat and this will be a great location for the otters to live long and happy lives.

“There are very few centres around the country that can rehabilitate otters through to release, and they are not cheap - it will cost more than £3,500 to return a pair of cubs to the wild.”

They are being monitored in an enclosure close to the River Ouse before being released

Human contact was kept to a minimum during the rehabilitation of orphaned otters to maintain as natural an enviroment as possible, the RSPCA added.

Young otters rely on their mother for food and stay with her until they are about a year old.

Sarah Mason, a nature-based solution strategy manager at Yorkshire Water, said the River Ouse would provide a “healthy habitat for them to call home”.

“Otters live wherever there is fresh water with plenty of food and shelter to raise their young,” she said.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].