Police called to injured otter...which turns out to be a faux fur collar

Unexpected: Police were called to an injured otter but they were confronted with something very different

@NewportCops

Laura Proto23 February 2016

Police officers were called to reports of an injured otter - only to discover a faux fur collar.

The safer neighbourhood team in Newport, Shropshire, were expecting to find a distressed mammal at the side of a road after a call from a concerned member of the public.

But it soon transpired the otter was in fact a collar from a coat.

Despite a wasted journey, officers from West Mercia Police soon saw the funny side of their call out and posted a series of images of ‘Ollie the Faux Otter’ on their Twitter page.

After rescuing the faux otter, they posted: “Thank you to everyone for their concerns.. Ollie the Faux Otter is safely in our van recovering from his ordeal.”

The Newport safer neighbourhood team also decided to take their new companion back to the police station for safe keeping.

They later posted: “#OllieTheOtter Update: Currently feeling much better and reading everyone’s kind messages on Twitter.”

Officers also used the opportunity as a reminder to contact the RSPCA or a local vet if anyone finds an injured animal.