Meet the Sanctuary Otters!
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!
June 2024
The two newest arrivals to the IOSF Sanctuary have settled in well! The pair have successfully excavated the soil from underneath their sleeping box and spend a great deal of time hiding in this cavity when the humans are around. It is great to see them developing their wild behaviours whilst at the Sanctuary!
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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
River and Linnhe
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!
June 2024
Other than popping their heads out of their sleeping box, these two youngsters are rarely seen! They opt instead to stay away from the humans, but we hope that with the use of monitoring cameras we will be able to see what they get up too in the near future!
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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
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
June 2024
Louis is asserting himself as the dominant otter when it comes to feeding time, making sure he gets the first fish! Do not worry though, as Maggie is right behind him for the next ones. The pair have once again been caught on the monitoring cameras making use of their pool, so keep your eyes peeled for some more footage appearing on our social media in the near future.
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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!
June 2024
Bealltainn has taken her usual summer stance of not using her sleeping box, preferring the tall reeds of her enclosure for cover. Tunnels through the long grass show her activity, as well as the fish heads left over from her daily meals!
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.