Otters illegal trade
Baby small-clawed otters a few hours after birth The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

It does not matter which continent you are on, 2017 politics has managed to cast a perennial shadow over most of the world. And it seems the only way to beat these blues, is with some cute otter photos... at least according to JK Rowling.

The Harry Potter author, who has never shied away from offering her opinion on political and social issues, took to Twitter to reportedly lambast the British government, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party before calling on her followers for some respite.

"Incompetent clowns in power and the opposition turning into a solipsistic personality cult. I'm so ****ing depressed," the 52 year old posted on 25 September. "Send otter pictures."

We can totally understand why a couple of images of happy, adorable otters may be just the solution to Rowling's depression, and by the looks of it, the internet was more than willing to help.

Within minutes of writing the post, the British novelist's Twitter account was flooded with photos of these semiaquatic critters. But why stop at cute otters? Some fans shared images of puppies, kittens and even a group of baby platypuses in fedoras.

Rowling has expressed her love for otters time and again on her social media account, often sharing images of them. In a 2015 post she confirmed that they were her favourite animal, while in 2014 she said that she would have liked to be an otter weigher if not an author.

Her love for these furry animals made it into her books as well, and in the Harry Potter series, Hermione Granger's Patronus takes the shape of an otter.

J.K. Rowling
J K Rowling's favourite animal is the otter REUTERS/Neil Hall