If you find an otter that may need help, please call us immediately.
☎️ 07866 462820 ☎️ 01769 580621 ☎️07759 809667

Specialist Otter Rehabilitation Centre

Based in North Devon, home of Tarka the otter, UKWOT have created a specialist rehabilitation centre comprising of 19 outside enclosures, 4 indoor cub rooms and 2 cub hospitals and it is the largest specialist centre in the UK giving us capacity to care for up to 44 animals if full.

 

We currently take in around 20 otters a year here and our aim is always the same – to get them fit for the return into the wild where they belong. We must replicate the mothers care and as the cubs will stay with mum in the wild for anything up to 12 to 18 months, the whole rehabilitation process takes a year to complete for each animal and costs in excess of £3,500 per cub to fulfil.

We use tried & tested release methods, which include hard release, support feeding at site, their familiar holt to give confidence, and post monitoring for as long as the animal decides it wants to stay in the release area. We let the otter(s) decide when they are ready to explore the natural world of their new home in the wild. They are left to integrate into the wild naturally and thus far, we enjoy a 100% success rate using this methodology.

UKWOT has built a solid and well-respected platform for quality care and as such, we take in otters from many wildlife rescue centres, vets and the RSPCA (we are RSPCA approved) As a result of this reputation for excellence, we now advise on otter cub rehabilitation in places such as Poland, Austria and Greece.

 

Della

Nene

Rolo

During the rehabilitation process we closely monitor all otter cubs to ensure that they are displaying positive signs in their behaviour. Unfortunately, not all cubs show the correct signs immediately and some will take longer to show us they are ready to be released. Sometimes it can take many months before they are ready, and we always ensure that they are truly ready for a return to the wild as the welfare of the otters is paramount in every aspect of what we do.
We have a resident otter ambassador Tolga, who is a firm favourite with our volunteers and supporters. He has a striking and bold personality, and is otterly adorable. He is constantly monitored to ensure he is happy. He has a large, naturalistic enclosure with lots of enrichment to keep him stimulated.

Krisi’s Journey Back Into The Wild

We rescued Krisi on December 30th 2021. She was found crying on a River Kennet in near Marlborough. The river was in flood so she was a high risk case. She was a tiny little cub, but was strong. Her rehabilitation went swimmingly, she went from strength to strength throughout 2022. She started showing signs of being ready to be released back into the wild. We found a perfect wild area for her to be released into, where there’s a clean river, plenty of cover and of course lots of fish for her to eat. So, on the 31st of August we released her back into the wild. It took 45 minutes to catch a stubborn Krisi up for transport to her new home. But once we arrived she went to exploring her new home quickly. As we do with all releases we post monitored her using a camera trap to make sure that she is settling into being a wild otter well. We are happy to report that she is doing amazing and is once again a wild otter. 

Krisi as a Cub

Krisi at our Rehab Centre

Krisi Back in the Wild

You can help us to help otters by making a donation. Our food bills are high and we need all the help that we can get to continue our vital & important work.

If you find a cub or adult that may need help, please call UKWOT immediately on 07866 462820 or 01769 580621 for advice.