'Best friend' otter cubs released into the wild

Two otter "best friend" cubs at a rescue centre have been released back into the wild, along with eight other cubs, a charity says after moving to its new base.

Female Tinsel, who was found in Norfolk, and male Star, found in Wiltshire, have been cared for by the UK Wild Otter Trust after they were left orphaned when their mothers were killed in December 2024.

Talking from its new base in north Devon base, the charity said the pair underwent 14 months of rehabilitation.

The charity said the pair were introduced to support each other's development and helped one another "learn the vital skills needed to thrive independently in the wild".

The charity, run entirely by volunteers, rescues otters from across country with the aim of rehabilitating them until they could fend for themselves in the wild, bosses said.

They said that all 10 cubs were "nursed back to health and raised to independence" and were big and strong enough to be released back into the wild.

They added that cubs remained with their mothers for just over a year, so, when helpless cubs were found alone, with no sign of their mothers, they would step in to help.

Trust founder Dave Webb said: "Sadly, it's not uncommon for it to already be too late by the time we're alerted - being without their mother at such a young age can be catastrophic.

"That's why moments like this mean so much - to be able to rescue a cub, nurse it back to health, and watch it grow into a strong, independent animal ready for release - that's exactly why we're here."

The charity said it had recently relocated from its old home in Umberleigh to a new permanent site in the same area after being unexpectedly told to leave in October 2025.

Webb said it had been "an incredibly challenging six months" where he did not know what the future of the centre looked like.

"All we knew was that we had to find a way to keep going, not for ourselves, but for the otters in our care," he said.

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