Eurasian otters have recovered dramatically in the UK after decades of decline, but now face significant mortality from road kills and sublethal welfare harms from river pollution and fishing gear entanglement.
Otters killed by road strikes suffer acute traumatic injury — many are pregnant females or mothers with cubs, causing secondary losses when dependent young cannot survive alone. Cubs found alone after maternal road kill face starvation and high mortality. Sublethal PCB and PFAS exposure causes immune suppression and reproductive failure. Otters entangled in eel fyke nets drown after exhausting attempts to escape. Injured otters requiring rehabilitation are stressed by captivity and require specialist care — release success depends strongly on injury severity and rehabilitation quality.