Latest news with #otter
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Crying eight-week-old otter found near river
A crying eight-week-old baby otter abandoned by a river was "growing stronger every day" following his rescue, a charity said. UK Wild Otter Trust said a passerby found Scratch crying by the River Fynn near Ipswich, weighing 0.5kg (1.1lb) on 26 May. When one of the rescuers scooped up the cub, he was scratched in the process, which gave the inspiration for the otter's name. Dave Webb, the charity's founder, said: "Scratch was cold, hungry, and confused, but he was also a fighter!" The cub was spotted by walkers when he was heard crying from afar and was in a distressed state. Originally, the members of the public left him there in case his mother came back, but later they returned to rescue him. He was then passed over to the UK Wild Otter Trust. Mr Webb said: "With warmth, food, and round-the-clock care, he's already growing stronger every day." The charity said Scratch has now tripled in weight with a tailored rehabilitation plan, and it was hoped he would be returned to the wild. Scratch was the eighth otter rescue the charity had made this year. Otters are protected by law, and it is illegal to hunt, trap or disturb them, according to the UK Wild Otter Trust. In recent years, new threats have emerged affecting otters, including road traffic accidents, habitat destruction, being captured in fishing nets and increased use of pesticides in farming. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'We've been rescuing and rehoming cats for 100 years' Rare otter filmed swimming in town centre park Dog rescued from underground pipe by firefighters
BBC News
11 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Crying baby otter rescued by Ipswich river
A crying eight-week-old baby otter abandoned by a river was "growing stronger every day" following his rescue, a charity said. UK Wild Otter Trust said a passerby found Scratch crying by the River Fynn near Ipswich, weighing 0.5kg (1.1lb) on 26 one of the rescuers scooped up the cub, he was scratched in the process, which gave the inspiration for the otter's name. Dave Webb, the charity's founder, said: "Scratch was cold, hungry, and confused, but he was also a fighter!" The cub was spotted by walkers when he was heard crying from afar and was in a distressed state. Originally, the members of the public left him there in case his mother came back, but later they returned to rescue him. He was then passed over to the UK Wild Otter Trust. Mr Webb said: "With warmth, food, and round-the-clock care, he's already growing stronger every day."The charity said Scratch has now tripled in weight with a tailored rehabilitation plan, and it was hoped he would be returned to the wild. Scratch was the eighth otter rescue the charity had made this year. Otters are protected by law, and it is illegal to hunt, trap or disturb them, according to the UK Wild Otter recent years, new threats have emerged affecting otters, including road traffic accidents, habitat destruction, being captured in fishing nets and increased use of pesticides in farming. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Country diary: Into the twilight zone with horseshoe bats
A little before nightfall, we enter the river gorge equipped with fast-failing eyes and a box that will let us listen to what we cannot hear. As long as the backdrop to the crescent moon is still blue, we can almost outperform this bat detector. We start to see shapes flittering around the treetops on the opposite side of the gorge, but it's not until they draw nearer and swoop directly overhead that the machine buzzes and spits at around 55kHz. That means these are soprano pipistrelles. Our aural targets tonight are the lesser and greater horseshoe bats that hang up by day in the limestone caves and the tunnels and flues of the long-abandoned ironworks. Rather tidily, horseshoes' echo-locating calls register at between 80kHz and 110kHz, far higher than other species. They also have a sonic signature that is worth waiting for. When twilight comes, we are lost in the grey and engulfed by pipistrelles. The detector has dialled up a victory. There must be lots of bats crisscrossing in front of us, for although we catch only half-glimpses, the detector is on overdrive, recording the spatters of clicks from feeding buzzes as the bats close in on their prey. Somehow, above this electronic mush, I catch a loud splash from the river below and we turn the detector off. It sounds like a toddlers' paddling pool party, a full-on splashing session, except that instead of infant shrieks, there are little 'huff-puffs' from the water. A mother otter with two, maybe three cubs. One submerges and swims in front of us, and we see its tail and sleeked body arc and turn away. We can barely see the otters; they can feel fish underwater. The little family slides into a back channel and there is silence. The detector is on again and now horseshoe bats have arrived, hunting all around us. Their calls express as a messy symphony of alien bleeps and burbly warbles, better suited to a 1960s sci-fi movie. Our device has rendered this high-frequency chatter into outlandish sounds to our ears. But what do the bats hear? Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Headlines: Houseboat fire and Frome trees vandalised
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media on Monday 2 June. Our pick of local website stories A dramatic picture has been released of the residential houseboat which caught fire while cruising along the river in Lechlade.A young otter cub has made a "remarkable recovery" after being rushed to the RSPCA's West Hatch centre in Somerset with a respiratory Police and Crime Commissioner has supported calls to make cannabis a Class A drug. Recategorizing it would align it with other illicit substances like heroin and cocaine.A key road in Bridgwater town centre will be shut for two months as the delivery of the town's 'Celebration Mile' continues. Our top three from yesterday What to watch on social media A 'Welcome to Margate' sign has appeared on the road to nowhere in Yate, suggesting the deserted stretch is possibly being used as a filming and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service have issued a reminder that most vapes contain hidden lithium batteries, which can spark fires if crushed.'Mindless' vandals have chopped down two young trees in Victoria Park in Frome and littered the grass with charred book pages.
Malay Mail
12-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Otter bites woman at Singapore's Robertson Quay, National Parks Board steps up patrols
SINGAPORE, May 12 — A woman was bitten by an otter near Jiak Kim Bridge at Robertson Quay in Singapore yesterday, prompting authorities to cordon off the area and step up patrols. The National Parks Board (NParks) confirmed to The Straits Times (ST) that the location is a known habitat for smooth-coated otters with young pups. While it did not disclose how many otters were involved or the extent of the woman's injuries, it said members of the Otter Working Group rendered immediate assistance and are in touch with the woman's family. According to ST, the Otter Working Group comprises representatives from NParks, PUB, Mandai Wildlife Group, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, and other partners. It was formed to monitor and manage Singapore's otter population amid growing human-wildlife encounters. 'To ensure public safety, NParks has stepped up patrols in the area and installed additional signage to remind visitors to keep a safe distance from the otters, particularly near their nursing site,' said How Choon Beng, NParks' group director of wildlife management. 'Together with the Otter Working Group and our community of otter watchers, NParks monitors the otters regularly to better understand their population, distribution and movement patterns, and takes proactive measures to pre-empt or mitigate human-animal conflicts where possible.' How stressed that otters are generally curious animals and will not attack unless provoked or if they feel threatened. He warned that adult otters may become defensive if they perceive danger to their pups. The public is urged not to touch, feed, chase or corner the animals, especially when pups are present. The incident comes amid past reports of similar encounters. In April 2022, a man was bitten on the calf while filming a large group of otters at Kallang Riverside Park. In another case in November 2021, a man was attacked by otters during a morning walk in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
