Otters in Wigtownshire.

[Borzoilover]

Hi, i am a new member and came across this site whilst browsing the internet to try and find some information on Otters.

My story is that last week i came across two Otters lying dead on opposite sides of the road from each other,hardly knowing anything at all about them apart from seeing them on wildlife tv programmes,i had a feeling that they were Otters but then again i thought there was a possibility they were Mink.

Well not to drag this tale out too much, my first call was to the SSPCA,who said she would put me through to the wildlife section,but unfortunately they were not answering the phone, so i left a few details on their answerphone and gave them two telephone numbers where i could be contacted.

Late in the afternoon i had not heard back from them, i was concerned that they might have young somewhere that was possibly dependent on the parents if indeed they wee male or female,so i rang again and spoke to same person on the switchboard,who also tried the number for me and she got no answer, so she gave me a phone number of an Otter sanctuary,which i think was either in Skye,or Islay,the lady was very helpful and told me to contact the police who have a wildlife officer who would perhaps deal with it.

This is what i did but you have to speak to a person on the switchboard,who took my details etc., and said someone would contact me get further details and go out and collect the animals.

From the Monday until the Friday of the same week the otters lay by the side of the road, and no one from any of the agencies had bothered to call me, i also contacted Scottish natural heritage, at least i think that is what they are called,but because they assumed it was roadkill they were not particuarly interested.


Ten days later being yesterday someone from the police rang me for more information, by now i had got hold of the factor of one of the country estates,who bagged them and took them to the local vets for post mortem.


The post mortem showed that both had been hit by a car one had head trauma,and the other a damaged spleen etc., but as i passed them frequently whilst walking my dog and even took a couple of photos, of them the pair had intact bodies no evidence of being run over,bodies in perfect condition.

I have been told they were male and female possibly a breeding pair,what a sad loss.

What really annoys me is the apathy and lack of interest shown by the SSPCA, and the police to some degree, i suspect if i had not got someone to lift them they may still be lying there,am i right or wrong in feeling that we should expect more from the SSPCA?

Would be interested in any opinions.

[vole-woman]

So they were otters, not mink?

You were absolutely right to report roadkill (otters and mink) though it is indeed disappointing you had such a frustrating time. I've always been told to report otters and mink to the local wildlife trust, but I'm in England so not sure if this is the same for Scotland.

[earthdragon64]

The trouble with a lot of organisations like the SSPCA is lack of funding, which can only get worse in the current economic climate. That means they really have to focus their resources and probably an animal already dead would be less of a priority than dealing with those that still have a chance of being saved.

Same with the Police Wildlife Liaison Officer, often there is only one in an entire force area and they have to prioritise.

You might have done better with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, or even Scottish Badgers. I know that Scottish Badgers take roadkill reports, and will come out and collect dead Badgers, they may have known of someone in your local area who may have been able to help.

Welcome to WAB by the way, I hope you can stick around and share some happier wildlife sightings.

Regards, Audrey.

ETA after seeing vole-woman's post; SWT or a local biological recording group would be my first port of call for anything like this, SNH should be a good place to start, but it really depends on who you get on the phone.

[The Woodman]

Hi Borzoilover and welcome to WAB

It's always sad to see Otters dead on the road or anywhere else come to that. I'm surprised they laid there that long as good specimens are regularly lifted for taxidermy.

With the greatest respect for your feelings towards organisations that you expected more from, they cannot bring dead Otters back to life. Under resourced, the SSPCA will be prioritising it's efforts with demanding cases and the Police and others will not want to know about road casualties. The council highways would remove a dead cow or deer from the road for safety reasons but rabbits, otters and the like will not figure on their radar. When and if they see them, the Highways Agency (responsible for Mways and trunk roads) will record otter casualties and deal withem appropriately.

In England and Wales, Otter carcasses are collected by the Environment Agency and sent off for analysis. I don't know if SEPA do in Scotland but for future reference it might be worth speaking to their ecologists.

Let Andy Riches, your area mammal recorder know of this event, sending him location, date, grid reference and any other info you have to slioch69@aol.com

Your local wildife trust might find the record useful, too. If it noted that other casualties are or have occurred at the same location, is is possible to get the Highway dept. to review the situation and consider taking measures to prevent Otters getting onto the highway at that point.

[Borzoilover]

Had a call from the vet who did the post mortem on the Otters,although there was no outward signs of them being hit by a car,he said sometimes they see this in dogs and cats who have been injured,but on the other hand they have massive internal injuries.

The pm showed that one had a fractured pelvis and damage to the spleen, and the other had an head injury,they were male and female so the vet thought they may have been a breeding pair.

He said that it was an unfortunate coincidence that two should have been struck.

At least they did not die by some other more sinister means.