Latest news with #otter
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Calgary Zoo otter pup dies suddenly while playing with littermate
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has announced the death of an otter pup. Three-month-old North American river otter Remi died on Tuesday while in the pool. The zoo says Remi was playing in the water with littermate Howe, but failed to resurface. A necropsy determined the otter pup suffered a life-ending cervical spinal cord injury during play. 'We believe her passing was swift and she did not suffer,' the zoo said in a Wednesday social media post. 'While the test results confirm it was a tragic accident, they offer little comfort in a time of such deep sorrow.' Though Remi's time at the zoo was brief, officials say she left a lasting impression, and will be fondly remembered for her 'playful, curious nature' and her 'tender moments' with Howe and her mom Kate. 'We are leaning on one another as we mourn this heartbreaking loss and honour the short but meaningful life of a truly special little otter.'
BBC News
01-07-2025
- BBC News
Otter killed by illegal crayfish trap set in Hartshorne pond
An illegal crayfish trap placed in a pond in Derbyshire has killed an owner of the pond in Hartshorne, near Swadlincote, had no knowledge that the trap had been set, said Derbyshire Police's Rural Crime trap snared and killed an adult female, said officers who on Monday appealed for anyone with information to come an image of the dead animal, a spokesperson for the team said: "This is the damage that can be caused to precious wildlife when illegal and unauthorised trapping practices are used."
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- 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
20-06-2025
- 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
18-06-2025
- 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
