Orphaned otters released into wild after 10 months at Vancouver Island rehabilitation centre

The orphaned otters are seen shortly after their release into the wild in these photos shared by Wild ARC.

A pair of orphaned river otters have been released into the wild, almost a year after they were brought to a Vancouver Island facility for rehabilitation.

The B.C. SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre, better known as Wild ARC, took in the orphaned pups just weeks apart, in June and July of last year.

The animals were brought to Wild ARC by members of the public, who found them abandoned in “urban habitats” in the Greater Victoria area.

While they are close in age, the two otters are not related, the SPCA said in an email to CTV News. They were found separately, and it’s unclear what happened to their mothers.

The baby otters were so young when they arrived at the facility that they needed to be bottle-fed four times a day, the SPCA explained in a news release Friday.

“Keeping wild animals wild is Wild ARC’s top priority,” the agency said. “Even during hands-on care, staff minimize human interaction by wearing gowns, gloves, boots, masks, and full-face visors. To give these otters the best shot at surviving in their natural habitat, the Wild ARC team worked hard to ensure they didn’t associate humans with food or safety.”

Instead, the otters bonded with each other, learning to feed themselves and exploring their enclosure, which the SPCA said was upgraded to offer the pups “plenty of enrichment opportunities that would keep their wild instincts at play.”

“Since young otters normally stay with their families through winter, these two remained at Wild ARC during the colder months to safely practice hunting and build essential survival skills in a controlled environment,” the SPCA said.

The pair was released on Crown land near Port Renfrew last week, according to the agency, which said it couldn’t share a more specific location because it wants to make sure the animals are “undisturbed” as they adjust to their new home.

“Their recent release was a big success, with both otters confidently swimming off to explore their new home in the wild,” the SPCA release reads.

Wild ARC is the only wildlife rehabilitation facility on southern Vancouver Island and treats more than 2,000 wild animals a year, according to the SPCA.