The number of otters in Scotland has grown dramatically over the last decade according to the latest Scottish Natural Heritage survey. There ia a reported 50 deaths every year to otters, the biggest killer being road traffic accidents. Landward's Sarah Mack visited the Otter Sanctuary on Skye to meet the baby otters orphaned by the ever growing addiction to the motor car.
Pre-filming for this item was done mid-March 2007 when a baby otter was brought in to the RSPCA. It was sent to the Otter Sanctuary in Skye to recuperate. The otter has been named Jeannie and she has recently been introduced to a companion called Catkie who is of the same age.
International Otter Survival Fund
Grace Yuxon from the International Survival Fund said: "When a rescue cub is brought in we keep it for about a year then it is released back into the wild. If they are from the islands like Mull or Lewis it would be taken back there; if it was from the mainland it would be released into a similar habitat e.g. near the sea or river."
Dangerous Roads
According to Grace the roads are a really big problem. If a female is hit and she has young that wipes them out. They breed really slowly around every 18 months with the female giving birth to 3 cubs at the most. She will not have cubs before she is 18 months and they only live to around six years in the wild so she will not have many cubs in her lifetime.
Population Survey of Uist
The population survey of Uist have been surveying on islands for number of years, in Barra the population is smaller than previously estimated. It is important to know where to protect the otters in case of disaster like an oil spill. The whole island cannot be protected, therefore it is important to know which sites are strategically important for survival.
There is a wild population in Skye and we would have a very good chance of seeing them to film but no promises.
Watch the Landward video about otters.
Page first published on Thursday 13th September 2007
Page last updated on Wednesday 11th June 2008
