An otter driven over and left for dead at the side of a road near Kinross has made a full recovery.
The animal had been assumed dead by those driving past before Christmas, but one eagle-eyed passer-by noticed him moving his head.
He was taken to the Scottish SPCA’s wildlife rescue centre in Clackmannanshire by car.
The Scottish SPCA said it had to sedate the otter as he was “understandably feisty” and reluctant to be caught.
Once sedated, the animal was transferred to the vet suite, where medics conducted a physical exam and carried out a series of x-rays.
A spokesperson for the animal welfare charity said: “Amazingly, there wasn’t a single break or fracture and all of his teeth were intact.”
Staff at the centre, who affectionately named the otter Ballo, then started treatment for a gash on his face and nose, and gave medication alongside his food.
The spokesperson added: “He was in our care for a few weeks until his face healed, he gained weight and became strong and fit enough to survive in the wild.
“We were so pleased when Ballo was released at the beginning of the year near to where he was found.”
Road incidents leading cause of otter deaths
Estimates place Scotland’s otter population at about 8,000, and the animals are regularly spotted around the lochs and rivers in Perth and Kinross.
But Scotland’s nature agency NatureScot says the animals are most at risk from collisions on the road – the leading cause of mortality in otters.
The agency’s website says: “NatureScot works closely with developers and road engineers to ensure that mitigation measures are put in place to avoid otter casualties on new roads.
“Such measures should also be retrofitted at existing known black spots where possible.”
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