Otter cub Rose recovers
An orphaned otter cub is recovering in Scottish SPCA care after being rescued from a Borders river bank.
A concerned member of the public spotted the distressed eight week old cub calling for her mother on the bank of the Ale Water near Lilliesleaf, Melrose, and contacted us for help.
Local Senior Inspector Jenny Scott collected the female cub, who has been named Rose, and took her to our Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fife where she is thriving.
Centre Manager Colin Seddon said, "I advised the lady who found Rose to leave her and check back in an hour, giving mum a chance to respond to her calls if she was in the area, but the cub was still in some distress when she returned so she caught and cared for her overnight.
"We then collected Rose and brought her to our centre where she has been coming on leaps and bounds. She is now ten weeks old and fully weaned.
"She has been moved to an outdoor enclosure and has just been introduced to shallow water, which she loves. Once our otter cubs reach this stage we take a hands off approach to allow them to develop their natural and healthy fear of humans.
"We will shortly be moving her on to the International Otter Survival Fund on Skye where she will be introduced to other otters and where she will continue her rehabilitation until she is around a year old and ready to be released back to the wild."
Anyone wishing to report an injured or distressed animal should call our Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
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