Most British wild mammals are born in spring or summer.

That makes sense.

By the time they are out and about the weather is mostly warm and dry.

They have time to mature before cold or stormy weather kicks in.

Otters are different.

Cubs can be born at any time of year.

Otter cubs born in autumn and winter are often affected by very wet weather.

They can be carried downstream by rivers in spate, and holts can be flooded.

A surprising number of cubs are orphaned when female otters are killed in road traffic accidents.

Cubs in trouble seek help by calling loudly.

Their distress call is a high pitched squeak that carries a long way.

Last Saturday, Niomi Shaw found an eight week old otter cub on the road beside the River Garnock in Kilbirnie.

The cub was wet and muddy, clearly alone, lost, and very unhappy.

Niomi heard the calls before she saw the cub.

Niomi took the cub home.

With help from her family she washed the cub, and gave it a blow dry.

By the time we arrived to collect the youngster it was warm and dry, and enjoying a cuddle from Niomi.

This cub wasn’t weaned.

It drinks from a baby’s bottle and is learning to eat trout.

It enjoys our company and contact at feeding times, but as soon as it starts to feed itself, human contact will be reduced.

If we kept the cub tame, it couldn’t go back to the wild.