Meet the Sanctuary Otters!
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!
April 2025
Bealltainn continues to be visited by a wild otter, but she still shows no signs of looking to leave the comfort of her enclosure!
We have had some better weather in recent days, so we are sure Bealltainn would be frequenting her favourite sunbathing spots. We will do our best to capture some images of her for you!
Tazzy and Timbit!
Timbit
Timbit is a young female Eurasian otter. He was found alone in the Appin area of the Scottish Highlands. After initial care in Fort William, she arrived the IOSF specialist care facility "The Sanctuary", still requiring feed by bottle (as you can see from the image). After a short period of time she moved onto small pieces of fish, and let us tell you.. she has quite the appetite!
Tazzy
Tazzy is a young male Eurasian otter. He was found at Gairlochy, Scottish Highlands, and after some food and warmth he became a very fiesty little otter, hence the name!
Latest Tazzy and Timbit update!
April 2025
Tazzy and Timbit have settled into life at the Sanctuary well! Their initial meet with each other was a touch on the frosty side, but after a few days they became inseparable and now are rarely seen apart.
Although initially slightly smaller, Timbit seems to have taken on the protector role in this pair of young otters!
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!
April 2025
Edith is rarely seen in daylight hours, but appears to have developed a keen eye for holes around her enclosure. She continues to have a healthy appetite and the times that we do see her, she is growing into a beautiful otter.
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!
-
![otter cub]()
Edith - SSPCA
-
![]()
October 2024
-
![otter cub]()
October 2024
-
![]()
October 2024
-
![]()
November 2024
Our most recent releases!
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!
May 2025
Dori and Queenie have now been successfully released back to the wild!
-
![]()
Dori
(SSPCA)
-
![]()
Dori
(SSPCA)
-
![]()
Dori
(SSPCA)
-
![]()
Dori + Queenie
April 2024
-
![]()
Queenie
April 2024
Louis and Maggie - Released!
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
November 2024
Louis and Maggie have now been released back to the wild!
-
![]()
Louis
Oct 2023
-
![]()
Louis
Oct 2023
-
![]()
Maggie (SSPCA)
Oct 2023
-
![]()
Maggie (SSPCA)
Oct 2023
-
![]()
Louis
Nov 2023
-
![]()
Louis
Nov 2023
-
![]()
First Meet
Jan 2024
-
![]()
First Meet
Jan 2024
-
![]()
Louis and Maggie
Jan 2024
-
![]()
Louis and Maggie
Jan 2024
-
![]()
Louis
Feb 2024
-
![]()
April 2024
-
![otter]()
April 2024
-
![otter]()
May 2024
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!
-
![]()
River Arrival
Feb 2024
-
![]()
Linnhe Arrival
Feb 2024
-
![]()
<River and Linnhe>
Feb 2024
-
![]()
River
Feb 2024
-
![]()
May 2024
-
![]()
May 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.