Rescued otter scared of water finally takes plunge at Hillswick Wildlife

The moment an orphaned otter with a fear of water finally goes for a dip has been captured in a heartwarming video.

Volunteers at Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary in Shetland have spent months trying to lure Luna into the pool after discovering the cub was bizarrely reluctant to get wet.

The team tried balancing fish on a manhole cover, putting them in a washing up bowl and gradually lowering the feed on a stretch of material across the pool to encourage the cub to take the plunge.

They went outside to feed her one day and discovered she was already playing in the pool.

They wrote: “A major breakthrough at the sanctuary – Luna the otter cub who arrived from Whalsay in January has finally caught fish in the pool.

“We could not believe how reluctant she was to get wet, even though she is an otter and otters live half of their lives in the water.

“So it was with great joy that we went out to feed her and found her already playing in the pool. We pulled out the material, threw in fish and hey presto, she dived in, grabbed one and ran off to her hut to wolf it down. Phew!

“It never ceases to amaze us how each otter has their own unique character – you never know what to expect.”