Grieving otter 'coming to terms' with dad's death

An otter has been getting extra treats and attention as he starts "coming to terms" with the death of his father, staff have said.

Buster is now the only otter at Washington Wetland Centre, near Sunderland, after his dad Musa died at the age of 17 last week.

Living collections manager Mark Tabone said the duo had a "typical father and son dynamic" and did everything together.

There are hopes to find Buster a companion, but until then "he's got his members that come and see him every week and he knows his familiar faces," Tabone said. "I think that'll definitely guide him through this grieving process."

He said the "amazing outpour" of support from the public following Musa's deaths was helping staff, as well as Buster.

"I think seeing all the amount of love that Musa had has really perked the team up and made us think it wasn't just us that loved him, it was everyone."

Born in 2017, Buster is one of nine cubs Musa had with his partner Mimi, who died last year.

Tabone said staff had rallied around him, using ball pits and hiding his food around the enclosure to keep him entertained.

"We're just monitoring him every day and making sure that he's getting on okay and he's getting plenty of interactions," he said.

"He's definitely coming out of his shell a little bit more now and he's starting to sort of come to terms with what's happened."

Tabone said "one in a million" Musa was the "boy in charge", overseeing the otter enclosure and keeping Buster in check.

"Buster would definitely push his luck and Musa would put him in his place but they had a great bond that was unbroken," he said.

"They did everything together and as much as Buster was a little bit naughty and maybe took advantage of Musa sometimes, Musa never stopped loving him, never stopped caring for him."

There are hopes to bring a companion in for Buster, but there is no timeframe on when another otter might join him.

"We would definitely never leave Buster alone and the plan would be to integrate with another otter at some point.

"Even if it was a female we wouldn't breed them, so it would just be a life companion for Buster now."

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