Ilkley vets look after abandoned otter pup Squeak (From Ilkley Gazette)

Ilkley vets look after abandoned otter pup Squeak

9:00am Friday 21st October 2011 in Local news By Amanda Greaves

An abandoned otter pup found on the River Wharfe is safely in the care of a sanctuary after a community effort to save him.

The male pup, christened Squeak, is thought to have been washed out of the safety of his mother’s den by rising river levels last week.

Staff at Ashlands Veterinary Centre in Ilkley, were alerted by dog walkers when their spaniel came across the pup.

The young otter was left in a secluded area of riverbank, in the hope his mother would return and carry him to safety.

But river levels stayed high and the pup was taken to the surgery on Leeds Road, where veterinary nurse, Cathy Lamb, was tasked with looking after the demanding youngster.

The surgery had many calls from concerned locals wanting to know how the otter was doing. Staff said Squeak has now been taken to a sanctuary in another part of the country to be rehabilitated for release, along with a female otter pup.