# River Rummaging

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 9 Jun 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72346160/at503_riverrummaging_mixdown.mp3

A giant otter and a yellow-spotted river turtle help find a set of missing keys. Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yale. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
[0:18] Speaker 1: where you suggest the animal for us to write a
[0:20] Speaker 1: story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand
[0:24] Speaker 1: new animal story here just for you. There are now
[0:28] Speaker 1: over one hundred extra stories on the Animal Tales premium service.
[0:33] Speaker 1: Find out how to join in the text that accompanies
[0:36] Speaker 1: this episode, and remember, for a tiny fee, they're all
[0:40] Speaker 1: advert free. Ray is from Perth in Scotland and she
[0:46] Speaker 1: would like a story with a giant otter and a
[0:49] Speaker 1: yellow spotted river turtle. You can learn more about these
[0:53] Speaker 1: creatures in the Animal Facts after the story. Now settle back, relax,
[0:59] Speaker 1: and I'll begin river rummaging. In the dark of the night,
[1:07] Speaker 1: twin headlights cut through the blackness. The car pulled up
[1:11] Speaker 1: beside the quiet river, the only sound being the rumbling
[1:15] Speaker 1: engine until even that shut off. There was not a
[1:20] Speaker 1: soul in sight, just what Cyrus had been hoping for.
[1:25] Speaker 1: Cyrus climbed out of his car. As he tugged his
[1:28] Speaker 1: black cap down onto his head. He popped open the
[1:32] Speaker 1: back of the vehicle, grabbing a fishing rod from within.
[1:37] Speaker 1: But when Cyrus took it to the edge of the river,
[1:39] Speaker 1: it wasn't a fish. Instead, he hurled it into the
[1:44] Speaker 1: water with all his might. The rod landed with a splash,
[1:49] Speaker 1: sending out moonlit ripples as it sank below the surface.
[1:54] Speaker 1: Cyrus smiled. He returned to the car, this time retrieving
[1:59] Speaker 1: a broken lamp and a cracked flower pot. These were
[2:04] Speaker 1: thrown into the river in the same manner as the rod.
[2:08] Speaker 1: They were soon followed by a couple of mugs and
[2:10] Speaker 1: a plastic box. Cyrus knew he shouldn't be dumping his
[2:15] Speaker 1: items into the river, but he simply didn't care. He
[2:20] Speaker 1: didn't care about the pollution he was creating, nor did
[2:24] Speaker 1: he care that innocent animals may get trapped or harmed
[2:28] Speaker 1: by what he was throwing away. He should have taken
[2:31] Speaker 1: all those items to the official dump like normal people did,
[2:36] Speaker 1: but that was a full thirty minute drive away, and
[2:39] Speaker 1: Cyrus was both lazy and selfish. This way was much easier,
[2:46] Speaker 1: even if he did have to do it at night
[2:48] Speaker 1: to avoid getting caught. The final item Cyrus removed was
[2:53] Speaker 1: a tatty rolled up rug. It was fraying, stained, and faded,
[2:59] Speaker 1: which was that's why he no longer wanted it. The rug, though,
[3:03] Speaker 1: was harder to get into the water. Being heavy, he
[3:08] Speaker 1: couldn't throw it like the other objects. Cyrus was forced
[3:12] Speaker 1: to wade out up to his knees, where he did
[3:15] Speaker 1: his best to toss the rug into deeper water. It
[3:19] Speaker 1: sank like a stone. Cyrus then returned to his car. Satisfied,
[3:26] Speaker 1: He shook the water from his shoes, closed up the back,
[3:30] Speaker 1: and reached into his pocket for the car keys. But
[3:33] Speaker 1: there were no khr keys in his pocket, nor were
[3:37] Speaker 1: they in any of the others. He stared at the
[3:41] Speaker 1: ground around him. Had he dropped them, surely he would
[3:45] Speaker 1: have heard them jangle? Oh what had he done with them?
[3:50] Speaker 1: Dropping to his knees, Cyrus crawled around in the dirt,
[3:55] Speaker 1: even checking under the car, but it was difficult to
[3:58] Speaker 1: see in the weak moonlight. What had he done with them?
[4:03] Speaker 1: He had them when he got out of the car.
[4:06] Speaker 1: He remembered that much. Of course, when he'd picked up
[4:10] Speaker 1: the fishing rod, he'd set them down on top of
[4:13] Speaker 1: the rug. Oh. No, had he just locked himself out
[4:17] Speaker 1: of his own car in the middle of nowhere. Cyrus
[4:22] Speaker 1: pressed his face against the rear wind screen, straining to
[4:25] Speaker 1: see there were no shiny keys within. There was only
[4:31] Speaker 1: one explanation he'd accidentally carried the keys on top of
[4:35] Speaker 1: the rug and thrown them away with it. Angrily, Cyrus
[4:41] Speaker 1: banged the roof of his car. He needed those keys.
[4:46] Speaker 1: He had to get home before somebody found him here.
[4:50] Speaker 1: Hurrying back to the edge of the river, Cyrus looked
[4:54] Speaker 1: out across the dark water. Unfortunately he could not swim.
[5:01] Speaker 1: A little down river, a young giant otter was woken
[5:05] Speaker 1: by the sounds of splashing. Normally this was caused by fish,
[5:10] Speaker 1: or frogs or birds, but this splashing sounded more like
[5:14] Speaker 1: a hippo having a bath. Martin, said the giant otter,
[5:20] Speaker 1: poking her friend. Can you hear that, Martin? A yellow
[5:25] Speaker 1: spotted river turtle poked his head out of his shell.
[5:30] Speaker 1: Not until you woke me up, Ray, Martin grumbled, what's
[5:35] Speaker 1: going on? I'm not sure, Ray replied, I'm going to
[5:41] Speaker 1: find out. Perhaps an animal needs help. Then I guess
[5:46] Speaker 1: i'd better come with you, said the river turtle. The
[5:50] Speaker 1: giant otter slipped into the nighttime water, heading towards the noise,
[5:56] Speaker 1: with Martin paddling along behind her. They were surprised to
[6:00] Speaker 1: find that the splashing was being made by a man
[6:03] Speaker 1: dressed all in black. Kicking the water in frustration. What
[6:09] Speaker 1: is he doing, Martin wondered. Only one way to find out,
[6:15] Speaker 1: Ray replied, swimming closer. Are you night fishing? The giant
[6:21] Speaker 1: otter called up to the man. He gave a shriek
[6:24] Speaker 1: of fright, not expecting to receive a visit from an animal. Er. Yes,
[6:31] Speaker 1: said Cyrus guiltily. That's right, I'm night fishing. It's my
[6:37] Speaker 1: first time. I don't think he's night fishing. The river
[6:42] Speaker 1: turtle muttered, but Ray didn't hear him. Most fish swim
[6:47] Speaker 1: away when they hear splashing, and you'd have much better
[6:50] Speaker 1: luck with a rod or a net, said Ray helpfully.
[6:55] Speaker 1: Look there's a better spot down stream, a bit. You'd
[6:58] Speaker 1: catch more fish there. Er, No, I uerh like this spot,
[7:05] Speaker 1: Cyrus said, not wanting to leave where his keys were.
[7:09] Speaker 1: I think I'll stay here. Well, all right, the giant
[7:14] Speaker 1: otter shrugged. Good luck with your fishing, but do try
[7:19] Speaker 1: to keep the noise down. Hold on a moment, cried
[7:24] Speaker 1: Cyrus hastily. Perhaps this otter and turtle were his way
[7:28] Speaker 1: out of this mess. Actually, I could really use your help,
[7:35] Speaker 1: our help, said Martin. What with? Well, I dropped something
[7:41] Speaker 1: by accident into the river, Cyrus explained, my keys, I
[7:47] Speaker 1: really do need them back. Oh dear, said Ray. We'd
[7:53] Speaker 1: be happy to help look for them, wouldn't we. Martin
[7:57] Speaker 1: sure would, nodded the river turtle. Great, said Cyrus, returning
[8:03] Speaker 1: to the river bank. I think I dropped them somewhere
[8:07] Speaker 1: over here, O k said Ray. One more question before
[8:13] Speaker 1: we start. What are keys? Cyrus almost groaned. They're shiny
[8:21] Speaker 1: and small and made of metal, he said. Now please hurry,
[8:28] Speaker 1: leave it to us, said Martin, and the two animals
[8:32] Speaker 1: disappeared beneath the surface. I bet I can find those
[8:36] Speaker 1: keys before you, said Ray cheekily. Oh you're on, Martin replied.
[8:44] Speaker 1: In the shallows, Cyrus was finally feeling hopeful. It was
[8:49] Speaker 1: getting close to dawn and he needed to be out
[8:52] Speaker 1: of here before an early morning jogger or a dog
[8:55] Speaker 1: walker happened by. He couldn't let any one see him
[9:00] Speaker 1: who might connect him to his illegal dumping, so when
[9:04] Speaker 1: the giant otter emerged, looking pleased with herself, he felt
[9:08] Speaker 1: a rush of relief. Did you find my keys, he asked?
[9:14] Speaker 1: Something even better, Ray proclaimed a fishing rod. She lifted
[9:20] Speaker 1: it up out of the water for him to see.
[9:24] Speaker 1: Cyrus couldn't believe his eyes. It was his own broken rod,
[9:29] Speaker 1: the one he'd thrown in not an hour earlier. Now
[9:33] Speaker 1: you can fish properly, ray said, happily, placing the rod
[9:37] Speaker 1: carefully on the river bank beside him. Er thanks, said Cyrus,
[9:44] Speaker 1: hiding his disappointment. But I still really need those keys
[9:50] Speaker 1: on it, said the otter. She disappeared again. Cyrus considered
[9:56] Speaker 1: kicking the fishing rod back in, but was stopped by
[9:59] Speaker 1: the the arrival of the yellow spotted river turtle. Have
[10:03] Speaker 1: you got my keys, Cyrus asked hopefully. I think so,
[10:09] Speaker 1: said the turtle proudly. They're small and shiny. He held
[10:14] Speaker 1: up three spoons and a fork. That's cutlery, Cyrus sighed.
[10:21] Speaker 1: My keys are smaller and on a ring. Hm, got it,
[10:27] Speaker 1: said Martin, putting the cutlery beside the fishing rod. I'll
[10:32] Speaker 1: try again, and back into the water he dived. Cyrus
[10:38] Speaker 1: gave the spoons a nudge with his shoe. Clearly he
[10:42] Speaker 1: wasn't the only one throwing things in this river. Seconds later,
[10:48] Speaker 1: the giant otter emerged once again. I have the keys,
[10:52] Speaker 1: she announced, much to his relief. Thank goodness, sighed Cyrus
[10:59] Speaker 1: as he reached out an open palm, hand them over.
[11:04] Speaker 1: Ray gave him an old soup can. No, this isn't keys,
[11:10] Speaker 1: but it's metal, pointed out Ray. No matter, I'll be
[11:15] Speaker 1: right back. Cyrus dropped the can beside the other items.
[11:21] Speaker 1: This was taking far too long. Now the river turtle
[11:26] Speaker 1: was back again. Are these keys, asked Martin. Nope, said Cyrus,
[11:33] Speaker 1: sagging as the flower pot he'd thrown away earlier was
[11:37] Speaker 1: set down on the bank, shiny and metal. Remember, Oh yeah,
[11:44] Speaker 1: confirmed Martin. I did see something like that. Give me
[11:48] Speaker 1: a minute. As he plunged downwards, Ray came up, much
[11:54] Speaker 1: to Cyrus's dismay. She placed a couple of glass bottles
[11:58] Speaker 1: on the river side. I know these aren't right, she said,
[12:03] Speaker 1: but I thought you might like them anyway. Some of
[12:06] Speaker 1: this stuff is really interesting. It's like a treasure trove
[12:10] Speaker 1: down there. Cyrus didn't know what to say, which was
[12:15] Speaker 1: just as well. As Ray had gone again. The first
[12:19] Speaker 1: rays of dawn were appearing over the trees, filling him
[12:23] Speaker 1: with dread. Hi there, announced a toad, appearing with an
[12:28] Speaker 1: old boot. Cyrus spluttered with disbelief. Who are you? Ray
[12:35] Speaker 1: asked us to help, said the toad as he deposited
[12:39] Speaker 1: the boot amongst the other items. Is that what you
[12:43] Speaker 1: were after? No, sobbed Cyrus. Keys. I need my keys,
[12:52] Speaker 1: right you are, said the toad as he was replaced
[12:56] Speaker 1: by a small cayman with a hub cap in her teeth.
[13:00] Speaker 1: Suddenly there were all sorts of animals helping the giant
[13:03] Speaker 1: otter and the yellow spotted river turtle, and none of
[13:07] Speaker 1: them seemed to understand what keys were. They brought Cyrus bottles, lamps,
[13:14] Speaker 1: plastic containers and food wrappers. They found ropes, fishing nets, drinks,
[13:21] Speaker 1: cans and bags. Some of the bigger animals even managed
[13:26] Speaker 1: to drag out a rusted bike, a boat, oar, a toaster,
[13:30] Speaker 1: and a three legged chair, but no keys. The pile
[13:36] Speaker 1: of junk on the river bank kept growing larger and larger.
[13:41] Speaker 1: Even Cyrus was shocked by just how much had been
[13:44] Speaker 1: dumped there. Surely one of these items must be your keys,
[13:49] Speaker 1: said Ray as she placed a chipped mug on the pile.
[13:54] Speaker 1: Martin placed another one beside it. A small crowd of
[13:58] Speaker 1: animals had now joined in the search, most of which
[14:02] Speaker 1: were waiting to hear Cyrus's response. No wept, Cyrus, rubbing
[14:09] Speaker 1: his aching head, look could you look for a rolled
[14:13] Speaker 1: up tatty rug. The keys are probably near that a rug.
[14:20] Speaker 1: Ray repeated. I guess we could take a look. Thank you,
[14:25] Speaker 1: said Cyrus quietly. The animals went under again as the
[14:31] Speaker 1: water reflected the morning's early light. Surely this was his
[14:36] Speaker 1: last chance. Then, to his delight, the animals reappeared, dragging
[14:42] Speaker 1: out the rolled up rug. Phew, this is heavy, Martin puffed.
[14:49] Speaker 1: It was taking almost all of the animals to carry
[14:52] Speaker 1: the water soaked object. With a heave. They dragged it
[14:57] Speaker 1: to the river bank with a collective groan, and something
[15:01] Speaker 1: shiny caught Cyrus's eye. My keys, he cried, grabbing them
[15:07] Speaker 1: from where they'd been tangled in the rug's fabric. Finally
[15:11] Speaker 1: he could leave. A dog bark announced that some one
[15:16] Speaker 1: was approaching on the river side path, sending the animals scurrying.
[15:22] Speaker 1: One by one. They slipped beneath the water or into
[15:25] Speaker 1: the surrounding grasses and reeds, leaving Cyrus stood beside a
[15:30] Speaker 1: very large pile of wet rubbish. Oh man, he whimpered,
[15:37] Speaker 1: I'm going to be in so much trouble. Two dog
[15:41] Speaker 1: walkers had seen him and were giving a cheery wave.
[15:46] Speaker 1: Nice to see you. Up so early, said one of
[15:48] Speaker 1: the pair. Wow, did all that come out of the river?
[15:54] Speaker 1: H yes, Cyrus mumbled. Can you believe the things people
[15:59] Speaker 1: throw away in there? It's horrendous. The second dog walker agreed,
[16:06] Speaker 1: what awful people to do such a thing. It's not
[16:09] Speaker 1: that difficult to dispose of waste properly. Cyrus felt he
[16:15] Speaker 1: had no option but to unlock the car and start
[16:18] Speaker 1: loading the mess inside, especially when the first of the
[16:22] Speaker 1: joggers went past. More and more people stopped to congratulate
[16:28] Speaker 1: him on his efforts, making him feel doubly bad for
[16:32] Speaker 1: dumping some of it in the first place. With his
[16:36] Speaker 1: car bursting with the discarded objects, the defeated Cyrus drove away,
[16:43] Speaker 1: heading for the dump, precisely where he should have gone
[16:46] Speaker 1: in the first place. Watching him go, Ray asked her
[16:52] Speaker 1: friend did he actually catch any fish? I don't think so,
[16:58] Speaker 1: replied Martin. But just as well, he'd never have got
[17:02] Speaker 1: them inside his car with all that lot. Animals. Fat
[17:11] Speaker 1: giant otters can reach almost two meters in length that's
[17:15] Speaker 1: around six feet. They're found in the rivers of the
[17:19] Speaker 1: Amazon in South America and can live in family groups
[17:23] Speaker 1: of up to twenty otters. Yellow Spotted river turtles are
[17:28] Speaker 1: another Amazon species. The yellow spots are found on their head,
[17:33] Speaker 1: which they tuck sideways under their shell, rather than drawing
[17:37] Speaker 1: their head into the shell like some other turtles. Thank
[17:41] Speaker 1: you for your suggestions, Ray, We hope that you all
[17:45] Speaker 1: enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening in the world, don't
[17:49] Speaker 1: forget to look at our animal Tales books over on
[17:52] Speaker 1: Amazon Great bedtime reading, especially if you've discovered the joy
[17:57] Speaker 1: of reading for yourself. You join us next time for
[18:01] Speaker 1: another great animal tale. Good Bye,

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