Donation of land allows otter charity to expand

An animal rescue charity says it will "never have to turn an otter away" after additional land was purchased by a supporter.

The UK Wild Otter Trust said it had been given four acres (1.6 hectares) of land near South Molton, in Devon, after a charity supporter bought it and donated it to the organisation.

It said the new section of land - which will be used alongside its current base near Barnstaple - would include 25 otter enclosures, a volunteer building and 500 trees.

Dave Webb, the charity's founder, said the new site could take about two years to set up.

The charity - which rescues and rehabilitates otters before releasing them back to the wild - currently has 20 enclosures, two outdoor isolation buildings, a cub hospital and indoor cub rooms.

Mr Webb said the charity had been keen to find more land as demand had increased.

Up until the start of October, he said the charity had rescued 28 otters in 2024, putting it on course to surpass the 32 it helped in 2023.

"At the end of the day, even if we don't fill it, the facility is there and we have that capacity," Mr Webb said.

"We will now be in a position where we never have to turn an otter away, we will always have space."

He added: "It's a nice surrounding for us, but it's also a nice surrounding for the cubs because they're going to be in the middle of a wild, woodland oasis.

"As we move forward, that can only enhance the benefit otters get from it."

Follow BBC Devon on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].