Meet the Sanctuary Otters!
New Otter - Edith!
Edith is a young female Eurasian otter. She was found alone in a "disorientated and wobbly" state, by the side of a dual-carriageway, near Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was around 12 weeks old when she was found and weighed 1.4kg.
The initial part of Edith’s care was overseen by the Scottish SPCA and, as you can tell by the image of her stuffing her face with salmon, she settled in very well.
Latest Edith News!
November 2024
Edith has settled into life at the IOSF Sanctuary very well, and has been seen acquainting herself with her new enclosure on regular patrols.
She has also become the first IOSF Sanctuary otter to become available for a digital sponsorship! You can find out more about this by clicking this link!
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Edith - SSPCA
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October 2024
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October 2024
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October 2024
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November 2024
Queenie is a young female Eurasian otter who was found on the Isle of Bute with a small spinal injury. After initial care with the local vet on Bute, she made her way to the SSPCA at Fishcross. Here she met her new partner in crime, Dori!
Dori and Queenie
Queenie
Dori
Dori, a male Eurasian otter, arrived at Fishcross after being found in St. Andrews, Scotland, at the very young age of 3-4 weeks old. He was so young that his eyes had not yet fully opened, but he has since come on in leaps and bounds!
Latest Dori and Queenie update!
October 2024
Dori and Queenie are now rarely seen, seemingly preferring to operate in the evenings and at night time! The times Grace does see them show that they are growing well, and we hope to be able to get more images of them soon for updates!
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Dori
(SSPCA)
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Dori
(SSPCA)
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Dori
(SSPCA)
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Dori + Queenie
April 2024
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Queenie
April 2024
Louis and Maggie
Louis
Arriving with us first was Louis, a young male Eurasian otter, who was only around 10 weeks old when he was found on the Isle of Harris, in the Scottish Western Isles. After initial care by the SSPCA he made his way to us and initially gave us a few troubles as he was reluctant to eat regularly. After some stressful weeks, Louis’ appetite picked up, and the change in his persona was immediate. Now a bag of energy, he can often been seen tearing around his enclosure, on the hunt for trouble - with his new friend Maggie!
Maggie
Maggie, a female Eurasian otter, was also around 10 weeks old when she was discovered in a stable after a river burst its banks during the destructive Storm Babet (October 2023). After initial care at Blyth Wildlife Rescue Centre, Maggie made the move to our Isle of Skye Sanctuary, and spent a short time settling in before being introduce to the energetic Louis. Usually there is an initial frosty period when young otters meet for the first time at the Sanctuary, but not this time! From the word go this pair have been inseparable, and love exploring every last bit of their enclosure.
Latest Louis and Maggie Update
October 2024
These two young otters have been balls of energy from the moment they were paired together. Frequently being seen from a distance playing in their pool and causing havoc in the rest of their enclosure!
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Louis
Oct 2023
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Louis
Oct 2023
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Maggie (SSPCA)
Oct 2023
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Maggie (SSPCA)
Oct 2023
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Louis
Nov 2023
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Louis
Nov 2023
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First Meet
Jan 2024
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First Meet
Jan 2024
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Louis and Maggie
Jan 2024
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Louis and Maggie
Jan 2024
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Louis
Feb 2024
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April 2024
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April 2024
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May 2024
Bealltainn
Bealltainn (named after the Gaelic May Day Festival) is a female Eurasian otter from the Isle of Mull. She came to the Sanctuary at around 6/8months old after initial care from Mull Otter Group, having been found on the first of May 2020. When she was found she had been living off vegetation, and didn’t appear to show the signs of an otter that understood how to hunt for herself. This has been shown in her time at the Sanctuary also, with a reluctance to use her pool being one of the main concerns for a release. She also doesn’t dig around her enclosure, like most other young otters who are ready to head out into the wild do!
Latest Bealltainn News!
October 2024
It seems Bealltainn has had regular visits from a wild otter recently. This otter has been digging around the outside of her enclosure in what we assume is an effort to get in! Bealltainn still shows no signs of digging out herself, and she continues to rest in the corner of her enclosure in her favourite spot!
River and Linnhe - RELEASED!
River
River is a young male Eurasian otter and was only about nine weeks old when he was found alone in the Livingston area of Scotland. With no sign of his mother, River was taken to the Scottish SPCA wildlife rescue centre for initial care. Once he was doing well and had gained weight, River was paired with another young male at the centre called Linnhe.
Linnhe
Linnhe was a tiny, four weeks old when he was found calling for his mother, near Loch Linnhe in Argyll & Bute, Scotland. Sadly, Linnhe’s mother was killed on a nearby road. In light of this he was taken to the vets in Oban and was later collected by the Scottish SPCA. After settling in and being paired with River, it was decided that both young otters would be moved to the IOSF Sanctuary on the Isle of Skye.
Latest River and Linnhe Update!
October 2024
River and Linnhe have now been released back to the wild! Thank you to everyone who made this possible through your support!
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River Arrival
Feb 2024
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Linnhe Arrival
Feb 2024
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<River and Linnhe>
Feb 2024
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River
Feb 2024
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May 2024
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May 2024
Our Most Recent Releases - Eden and Winston
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Eden (KCARC)
Feb 2023
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Eden (KCARC)
Feb 2023
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Winston Found
March 2023
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Eden (IOSF)
April 2023
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Eden
April 2023
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Eden
April 2023
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Winston
June 2023
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Eden’s tail
June 2023
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Eden
Nov 2023
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Release
Mar 2024
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Release
Mar 2024
In order to have the best possible chance at a return to the wild, we do not allow visitors to the Sanctuary. This is to minimise their interactions with humans and maintain their wild instincts. All otters that come into the Sanctuary for rehabilitation are here with a view to release in the future, unless this is not possible.