'Feisty' Limerick otter pup separated from its mother is now being cared for

'Tiny squeals' from under her car during Storm Chandra alerted Limerick woman to baby otter's plight

The otter pup rescued in Limerick after losing her mother during Storm Chandra. Picture: Kildare Wildlife Rescue

An otter pup was lucky to stumble upon help in Limerick, after being separated from her mother during Storm Chandra in January. 

Now a local artist is raising funds for the animal shelter which took care of her.

Shauna Cosgrave was parked in her car by the riverside in the city when she heard “tiny squeals”, similar to the ones of a baby.

“I got out and looked under the car and there was this tiny little otter underneath," Ms Cosgrave told the Irish Examiner.

"I frightened her when I got out, so she ran away and was like running up and down the side of the river,” she added.

Despite the “feisty” character of the little otter, she managed to catch her eventually. 

Since late January, the otter has been on quite the adventure after being brought to Bat Rehabilitation Ireland, then transferred to Kildare Wildlife Rescue.

Last week, Ms Cosgrave met local artist Rímú, who creates illustrations featuring otters, which are often spotted by the river. 

Shauna Cosgrave with artist Rímú's illustration of the distressed otter pup she found underneath her car in Limerick. Picture: Shauna Cosgrave.

He will be donating part of the funds raised by selling the prints of the otter pup to Bat Rehabilitation Ireland.

Ms Cosgrave and her stepdaughter, Kate, are no stranger to rescuing animals. 

The pair both study environmental science and are often found helping out animals across Limerick.

“We’re always just driving around, having the chats and stuff, and we always just end up seeing something — a dog, an injured bird, or a cat,” said Kate. 

The baby otter will be in the care of the rescue centre for 12 months.

“That’s how long an otter cub would stay with their mother. They have an older otter that's able to teach her the ways, and another otter that's the same age as her,” said Ms Cosgrave.

The pair stressed that while videos circulating of the otters are cute, the public should ring someone for help if an animal appears to be in distress.

In a post shared on social media, Kildare Wildlife Rescue explained otter pups are often admitted to the centre after storms that cause flooding.

“This cub, at approximately 10 weeks old, would be newly introduced to the water by her mother. 

"The heavy rains and rising waters produced by Storm Chandra caused the little one to become separated from her mother and swept away,” they said.

It also said that each rescued pup will eat up to a kilo of fish per day.

Kildare Wildlife Rescue says otters are naturally very curious and active and because they take so long to rehabilitate when orphaned, its volunteers have to come up with clever ways to keep them from getting bored. 

"Features like tunnels, log piles, and swimming areas are just some of the ways we keep things interesting."