North Devon otter sanctuary rebuilds after losing former site

A North Devon otter rescue charity has rebuilt its rehabilitation centre after being given notice to vacate the land where it had operated for nearly four years.

The UK Wild Otter Trust, which rescues, treats and rehabilitates injured and orphaned Eurasian otters, announced in October 2025 that it had received notice from its landlords to leave its former site and remove all its facilities.

The charity, run entirely by volunteers, had developed a specialist centre with outdoor enclosures and a dedicated otter hospital, which took years to construct. 

It had to begin dismantling the site while continuing to care for animals already in its care.

A new site in North Devon has since been offered by a supporter and work to reconstruct the rehabilitation centre is nearing completion, with the trust expecting to be fully operational by April 2026. 

ABOVE: The enclosures - now demolished

The total cost of the rebuild was £133,500. 

That project has been funded by a generous donation of £150,000, which covered the costs without the charity taking on additional debt.

UK Wild Otter Trust receives around 20 otters a year for rehabilitation and care. Its specialist centre includes around 19 outside enclosures, indoor cub rooms and isolation units, allowing the charity to care for dozens of animals at a time before releasing them back into the wild once they are fit.

As part of the rebuilding efforts, fencing supplier Wire Fence provided £1,256.64 of cost‑price materials towards the construction of new enclosures.

ABOVE: One of the old pens where rescued otters were cared for

Dave Webb, founder and chief executive of the trust, said volunteers continued to work on the new site while also caring for otters currently in the trust’s care.

 “This assistance allows many more otters to be rescued and released after their rehabilitation programmes are completed,” he said.

The charity’s work, which has been ongoing since its founding in 2006, aims to promote otter welfare and conservation across the UK. It collaborates with wildlife rescue centres, vets and other organisations to help as many animals as possible return safely to their natural habitats.