Tragic otter discoveries

Two tragic  and one happier discovery of the elusive and normally nocturnal otter have been reported to Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) this month.

A dead female was found on 2 October on the railway line near Dorchester.  She appeared to have been hit by a train and DWT say this cause of death is a rarely recorded one.

Another otter – this time a male, which had died in a road accident, was found on 9 October by RSPB staff on Weymouth Way, Weymouth. Staff at the RSPB’s Radipole Lake Reserve periodically find signs of otters, but this is the first positive record in the town for many years.

The most intriguing incident occurred in North Street, Charminster on 13 October.  A large and beautiful male specimen, having been hit by a car, was taken in a laundry basket to a house in the village.  

DWT’s Conservation Officer, Rachel Janes, said: “Vets from Southfield Veterinary Surgery were called, but Mr Otter, surmising interference, decided that he was sufficiently active to run around the garage in which he was confined for fifteen minutes before eventually being caught. 

“Considering the mammal well enough to be released, the vets took it to the nearby River Cerne and watched him swim away.”

Rachel added: “All reports about otters are welcome, as the more evidence that can be compiled of their presence in the county adds to our constantly-increasing knowledge of their distribution.”

If you find a dead otter, you should contact the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.

For more information about otters see www.dorsetwildlife.co.uk or contact Rachel Janes at DWT Tel: 01305 264620.

Picture by Wildstock.