Otter cubs set free in the Highlands

Three orphaned otters have been released into the wild after more than nine months in care. The Scottish SPCA set the cubs free in a freshwater loch in the Highlands.

The cubs were taken to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, Clacks, when they were about eight weeks old. Food and shelter have been provided and they will be monitored on CCTV. This routine was used successfully last year on Mull, where those released were progressing well.

Otters were driven to near extinction in the UK between the Fifties and Seventies. Improvements in water quality and legal protection have led to their revival in Scotland and other parts of the UK.

Colin Seddon, manager of the centre, asked any observers who find cubs that are injured or ill to call the animal helpline. The charity has cared for 105 otters since opening Fishcross in 2012, 96 of them cubs.