Two orphaned baby otters are looking forward to spending their first Valentine’s Day together after the RSPA played Cupid to help their rehabilitation.
Otter cub Eve was put in a bin near Sunderland Road in Durham on Christmas Eve after a member of the public thought she was dead.
Thankfully, someone saw signs of life and took her to a vet where she was treated for hypothermia before the RSPCA were alerted to her plight.
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Inspector Steph Baines took Eve to be treated at a wildlife establishment in North Yorkshire and after a few days, she was strong enough to be transferred to Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, near Nantwich, Cheshire.
Meanwhile, otter cub Juniper was found alone just days later in the New Year by a member of the public near Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire.
There was no sign of his mum and the otter was clearly frightened so he was taken to a nearby vet and transferred to Stapeley Grange on January 7.
To help the baby otters prepare for their return to the wild, staff at the RSPCA centre housed the pair together.
Now, the loving pair are thriving in each other's company, and a Valentine's date night for them on Monday will involve a tasty meal of fish treats before cuddling up together on their blanket.
Lee Stewart, manager at Stapeley Grange, said: “To help the otters' social well-being we recently paired up Eve and Juniper and they are loving spending time together.
“Enrichment is important for the mental wellbeing of our patients and the otters enjoy playing in a paddock with straw and chasing each other around.
"They are also very fond of the fish dishes we provide and like snuggling up after a long day of scampering around.
“Whilst most of our adult wildlife admissions are returned to the wild within a matter of weeks many of our orphan animals remain in care for many months.
“Our otter cubs can stay with us for up to 12 months so their care is not only time consuming but expensive.
"They are released at an age and size when they would naturally move off to find their own territory and way in life.”
In this case, Eve and Juniper will be released together at a suitable location later in the year.
Lee added: “It is always very exciting to have an otter cub with us as up until the 1980s they were struggling in the wild.
“They weren’t protected by legislation until 1978, at which point numbers were low, but over time their numbers have steadily increased and they have made a comeback in most counties in the UK.
"As a result, we are seeing more being brought into Stapeley Grange.
"Otter rehabilitation is very specialised and you need to have suitable facilities to care for them.
If a member of the public sees a wild animal in need of help, they can call the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999.
