Orphan otter cub 'smallest we've rescued to survive'

IDRIS HADN'T EVEN OPENED HIS EYES... NOW HE'S BEING READIED FOR RETURN TO WILD BY CHARITY

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE

A TINY otter cub with his eyes still closed was found squeaking next to a stream in Gwynedd. Weighing less than a can of fizzy drink, the odds of him surviving without his mother were considered "almost impossible".

Passersby heard his high-pitched squeaks next to a small, overgrown stream near Bala.

His mother was nowhere to be found - it’s thought she may have been killed on a nearby road.

Weighing just 340 grams, and estimated to be less than seven weeks old, the Eurasian otter cub was still too young to have opened its eyes for the first time.

Knowing his chances were slim, his finders contacted wildlife charity UK Wild Otter Trust (WOT).