'Wotter day'

Last week I had the amazing opportunity of helping to release two otters that have been in Stapeley Granges' care for about 10 months. They came to us on Christmas Eve 2015 as orphans by storms from Rea Brook, Shrewsbury. They were named suitably by the staff as Mary and Joseph (pictured below). Over the next ten months the pair were fed and monitored closely and raised in an excellent otter enclosure, built with the money W G Harvey Discretionary Settlement generously donated. 

      

The first task in this release was to catch the otters to move them into an empty run so they could be quickly boxed up the next morning. This sounds like a fairly simple task although it took nine members of staff and volunteers to heard the otters around their enclosure and towards the door where a box was placed and the door was quickly shut. It was like a military operation as otters can be quite vicious if approached in the wrong way. I was thankful to be involved in this, let alone what was yet to come.

The next day I went to the release sight with Supervisor Rob and two volunteers to create an enclosure that the otters would live in for the next two weeks until we would then open the fencing to allow them to move on and find suitable habitats for themselves. We used around 50 metres of electric fencing to create this area and had to clear a lot of nettles and weeds as it was so over grown. A pool was placed in the area which was filled with the near by river water, along with tyres and tubes for the otters enrichment. Volunteer Graham put up two camera traps which are motion censored so we can see the otters reactions to their new surroundings. The next day, we traveled again to the site but with the otters in the back of the van. A journalist from BBC radio Stoke arrived who interviewed Rob whilst I made the finishing touches to the fencing. We then carried the box containing the otters over the fence and stood by while Rob opened the sliding door. While one otter stayed in the box and remained unseen the other, believed to be the female, shot out without hesitation and began scouting her surroundings for us all to capture on video. Rob mentioned this was quite rare and hasn't happened in the last six years in all the releases he had done, which made the experience even more exciting. 

 

Otter populations are on the increase in the UK since the 1960's and 70's where they were extinct in most parts of England, but can be now found in every English county! The work of the RSPCA in rehabilitating sick, injured or orphaned animals plays a huge role in the conservation of species populations and I am so proud to be a member of this organisation. Looking forward to get involved in more releases next year!

Catherine Smith

Student Placement

'If you would like to help RSPCA Stapeley Grange with a donation of just £3, simply text RSPCA2 to 70007‘ Texts cost £3 + standard network rate