TESTS on the body of an otter cub found dead in a Dorset river have revealed that the animal was not poisoned.

The body of the youngster, aged between two and three months old, was discovered close to the river at Iford Bridge in February by shocked passers-by who feared it may have been poisoned by disgruntled anglers.

RSPCA officers collected the body and passed it to the Environment Agency who sent it for tests at Cardiff University.

The post-mortem revealed that the animal was emaciated and had broken ribs.

Mike Dunning, Environment Agency spokesman, said: “There was no sign it had been poisoned. It did have broken ribs and there is the possibility it could have been in a road accident.”

Alternatively the animal could have been injured in the river after being separated from its mother, he added.