Animal lovers are battling to save a tiny otter that fell 15ft down a storm drain at a sewage works and couldn't get out.
A worker at the sewage works on Stowmarket Road, Stonham Aspal, near Stowmarket, spotted the little otter pup in the storm tank on Monday morning and pulled him out before calling the RSPCA for help.
The tiny pup - who weighs just 1.2kg - was rushed into RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre by animal collection officer (ACO) Naemi Kilbey
'The poor little pup had fallen 15ft into a septic tank at the water authority. He'd been washed into a storm tank and was covered in sewage,' she said.
'Thankfully, one of the workers spotted him and pulled him free before he drowned but there was no sign of his mum anywhere.'
ACO Kilbey collected the little otter but was very worried about him.
'I honestly thought he was going to die on route to our wildlife centre in Norfolk,' she said. 'He was totally flat when I picked him up and seemed really weak and poorly.
'I tried to heat him up and give him fluid and rushed him to East Winch where they got him straight under a heat lamp.
'He was much more lively by the time I left and was even trying to take a bite out of the care assistant's finger. It's always a good sign when they're feisty.
'He was very lucky and I really hope he pulls through and can, eventually, be released back to the wild where he belongs.'
Alison Charles, manager at East Winch, said: 'It was quite cold when he arrived and he's very young so we warmed him up, gave him fluids and offered him some tiny pieces of trout which he nibbled on overnight.
'It's really positive that he's eating but he's not out of the woods yet and he has a long way to go.'
It can take up to a year to fully rehabilitate a young otter and prepare them for release.
'Otter pups are with their mums for a long time and learn a lot from them,' said Mrs Charles. 'It's really difficult to rehabilitate them but we work closely with other specialist organisations and hope we can build up his strength and his health so he can be released back into the wild next year.'
The cub may have been hunting with its mother along a nearby stream when he got lost and entered the sewage works.
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