Wildlife Welfare

Wild Otter Road Mortality and Safe Passage

Road crossings are a major cause of otter death, particularly at river bottoms where otters are forced onto road surfaces.

Key Facts

Otters crossing roads under bridges are killed in large numbers in the UK
Dry ledges or otter passes under bridges allow otters to avoid road surfaces
Without ledges, otters climb up and cross road surfaces at bridge level
Partnership between landowners, highway authorities, and wildlife groups is needed
Otter populations are recovering but road mortality remains a limiting factor

Welfare Considerations

Road mortality causes acute suffering for individual otters and threatens population recovery at a landscape scale. Simple engineering solutions like ledge installation can prevent these deaths at relatively low cost.

What You Can Do

Support local wildlife trust campaigns for otter ledge installation
Report otter road casualties to local wildlife surveys
Advocate for wildlife crossing requirements in new road construction near waterways