An otter cub found abandoned in west Wales is being cared for at a special unit in the Brecon Beacons.

It is hoped the weak and malnourished cub may be nurtured back to health and eventually returned to the wild.

But experts are worried about the increasing number of otter casualties and deaths across Wales.

Now a major study is being carried out to try and save them.

Keith the three-month-old otter - named after his rescuer - was found under a gorse bush close to the Loughor estuary at Llanelli.

With no sign of his mother - an ulcer on his eye is probably the reason he became parted from her - he would not have survived a few days.

He is now being cared for at a special intensive care unit set up by the Brecknock Wildlife Trust in mid Wales.

Having put on a few ounces, Keith is already eating up to a pound of fresh salmon a day.

But while he may look cute and cuddly, he is a wild animal and as such needs to be treated with care.

The whole point of his rescue is that he does not become tame so eventually he can be released into the wild.

"He's a wonderful creature, fascinating, very inquisitive and active but he can give you a really good bite as well," warned trust volunteer Gareth Jones.

The otter population is slowly expanding in Wales but more and more are being killed on busy roads.

Research project

And it is this problem that a research project across Wales is trying to tackle.

"We would like to hear from the public if they see a live otter or a dead otter," said Dianne Russell of the Brecknock Wildlife Trust.

"We would like to recover the body. It sounds a bit grisly but the body will then go for an autopsy."

Keith the otter cub is to remain in mid Wales for a few days before heading off to a sanctuary where he is likely to remain for a year before being freed into the wild.