An orphaned otter cub has made it back home to Mull after a year of sanctuary on Skye.
Almost exactly to one year after Dobhran was found near a greenhouse in the north of Mull, he was finally been returned to the island for release back into the wild.
He was looked after by IOSF, the international otter sanctuary on Skye, where he thrived and built up his strength.
When he was found on Mull he weighed less than a kilo, it is believed his mum died in a road accident after a lactating female otter was discovered dead.
Grace Yoxon at the sanctuary took these photographs of Dobhran one year on to share with Oban Times’ readers.
She said: “Dobhran lived in a large enclosure with space to keep away from us and
with minimal human contact as we want rescued otters to keep their wild side.
“We know when otters are ready to return to the wild when they start to dig around the
enclosure’s perimeter, keen to be out.”
Releasing Dobhran, when the fish stocks were still high, gave him the best chance of survival.
Mull Otter Group tried to make sure that he would not be released into another otter’s
territory when he got back to the island.
He was carried to a secluded spot on the shoreline and his cage was opened. He spent 10 minutes looking round before he came halfway out of his cage.
“Everyone expected him to lunge for the sea. But no, he went back in. A fiery,
feisty little cub had grown into a more cautious adult.
“Eventually, he ventured out, sniffing, getting his bearings. Is it possible that he might
have had a memory of the place where his mother would have brought him to wait
while she fished? He rubbed himself on seaweed and rocks, slipped into the water
and was off.”
Dobhran’s original rescuers are still watching out for him, but so far he seems to
have taken to life in the wild like “an otter” to water.
If you would like to find out more about the work of the otter sanctuary on Skye, you can visit visit www.otter.org