Shivering and Alone: Man Rescues Wet Baby Otters Huddled in a Box, Giving Them Warmth, Love, and a Fresh Start

A man was recently traveling down a busy street in the English town of Shrewsbury when he spotted a box on the side of the road. When he went to investigate the contents of the box, he was floored by who he found inside: two baby otters, huddling together for warmth.

Otters inside cardboard box

While it’s unfortunately not uncommon to come across abandoned cats or dogs, finding two otters in a cardboard box is unheard of. The man sprang into action and got them to a wildlife rescue center as quickly as he could.

When the cubs arrived at Cuan Wildlife Rescue, they were terrified. They both weighed less than 5 pounds and were soaking wet from having been left out for hours in the rain.

Otters in cardboard box

Cuan Wildlife Rescue fed the babies and got them warmed up before transferring them to long-term otter rehabilitation center UK Wild Otter Trust (UKWOT).

“When the otter cubs arrived with us, they were quiet, obviously scared, and withdrawn,” Hatty Brady, UKWOT communications officer, told The Dodo.

Otters in cardboard box

“[W]e were outraged that anyone could dump these two tiny and defenseless animals, who, without their mum and locked in a box, wouldn’t have survived alone for much longer,” Brady said.

Thankfully, though, in the days since the otters arrived at UKWOT, they’ve already been doing much better.

“They’re still quite fearful now, but they’re heading in the right direction, and you can see their little personalities starting to come out,” Brady said.

As UKWOT continues caring for the babies, they’ll slowly grow bigger, get stronger and learn all the skills they need to thrive in their natural habitat. And they’ll have each other’s backs the whole time.

“Being two of them, it makes it easier and more likely that they’ll be successfully rehabilitated as they have each other to grow with and explore their natural otter instincts with,” Brady said.

In about a year, UKWOT will release the siblings into the wild, where they belong. By then, the scary circumstances they were rescued from will be nothing more than a distant memory.