Otter cub found abandoned in Shetland garden dies after being rescued

A tiny otter cub, rescued after being found abandoned in Shetland, has died.

A concerned local called Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary after finding the cub alone in his garden in South Whiteness on Saturday.

After waiting overnight for the mum to return, the homeowner noticed that the cub had made its way into an outhouse building, where she had curled up on a pile of hay.

The wildlife charity said the cub, believed to be around three weeks old, was squeaking and showing signs of missing its mum.

An otter cub was found in a pile of straw in an outhouse Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary

Affectionately named Hope, the otter was taken into the sanctuary’s care, but died on Wednesday.

The charity said she had been feeding well, but “never displayed the physical strength or the strength of spirit that a young one needs to pull through”.

They gave Hope round-the-clock care for five days.

“Our hearts have been breaking on this sad, sad day at the sanctuary,” the sanctuary said.

“It was always touch and go with her. She was weak and feeble from the start. Though we did manage to get her feeding well and had finally allowed ourselves to believe that she would make it through those very difficult days after a cub has been abandoned by her mother, it turned out to be a final rally, and in the end, she could not find the strength she needed to survive.

“Could we have done more for her? It’s a question that always haunts us in this line of work.

Otter cub treated by Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary

“But we know that we did all that we could… and in retrospect, there were telltale signs that her chances were slim from the start.”

The sanctuary said that it was possilble the otter cub had been abandoned due to it’s lack of strength and low likelihood of it surviving in the wild.

“So Hope has died, but hope never dies and we will continue to do the best we can for these beautiful creatures we have the privelige to care for,” Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary said.

“Many, many thanks for all the kind words and generous donations Hope inspired.”

Otter cubs usually start emerging from the den at about three months old, but they still rely on their mother for food and will stay with her until they are a year old.

The cubs need specialist care to survive. Rehabilitation at a wildlife centre usually takes up to a year before they are ready to be released back into the wild.