Otter road deaths rise with water levels

The return of the otter to Wiltshire's rivers has been one of the great conservation coups of recent years. But now, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust's otter experts are reporting, otters are in peril from a lethal cocktail of flooded riverbanks and speeding drivers.

Mark Satinet, the Trust's Otters and Rivers Project Officer, said that two otters have been killed on the roads in Wiltshire over the last month. "The Otters and Rivers Project, sponsored by Wessex Water, has been trying to improve the habitat of our rivers, while Wessex Water and the Environment Agency have been improving the quality of the water. However, the greatest threat that the otters currently face is that of being run over on our roads."

The road death risk has risen as rivers have flooded, driving otters to cross roads rather than pass under submerged bridge arches.

"Sadly, one of the otters was pregnant," said Mark, who stresses how important it is to report seeing a dead otter straight away.

"If we know that a dead otter has cubs, we can send out a volunteer search party to look for the otter holt, and try to rescue the orphaned cubs." 

Reporting dead otters is also vital for the purposes of autopsy - post mortems can reveal all sorts of useful information on how well an otter population is doing. "If you see a dead otter at the roadside, phone Wiltshire Wildlife Trust or the Environment Agency at once. We can then arrange to come out and examine the otter on the spot, which might give us a chance of finding cubs, as well as helping us to protect otters from becoming road casualties," said Mark.

The Trust is also urging drivers to be aware that wild creatures such as the otter are on the move more than usual at times of flooding - and to slow down, especially on corners, over bridges and near riverbanks.