Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary

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Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary

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Since 1987 Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary has looked after seals, otters and cetaceans in trouble. Our aim is always to release them back into the wild.

Since 1987 we have cared for sick, injured and abandoned seals and otters in Shetland and released them back into the wild.

05/11/2026

Westie the otter cub rescued in Unst a month ago has been making great strides having grown up that little bit more and left the bottle behind. He has even moved on from fish soup and is now chomping chunks of haddock and whiting fresh from the local fleet. There was a time we could get fish too small to land, ideal for otters, but good ol’ regulations put a stop to that! So now we go to the markets and it’s pot luck what the price will be. Either way, Westie’s doing great and that’s all that matters. Ain’t no stopping him now!

02/11/2026

Our sister shop is now open. Please like and share

21/10/2026

Come along to this special event at The Booth in Hillswick to celebrate one of the most important nights of the year and to see the myth of the Selkiewife being re-imagined in the Shetland dialect by a delightful group of actors…entry by donation with light refreshments served.

21/10/2026

Europe's largest seal rescue and rehab centre in Piederburen, Holland, is threatened with bankruptcy. They are seeking long term help from the government to help them survive and are asking people to sign their petition. Please help.

19/10/2026

Not everyone appreciates the sad stories, but we think it is important to paint the full picture of what's involved in animal welfare and it isn't all good. We received a call on Sunday about this grey seal pup lying on the beach at Otters Ayre in Muckle Roe. There were questions about whether its mum was nearby or not and in the end we went to have look ourselves. Eventually we came to the very far end of the beach in the moonlight and found a seemingly healthy pup that looked exhausted more than anything else. We managed to get it into a seal bag and carry it several hundred yards back up to the van. When we managed to get it out of the bag we realised it had blood around its mouth and when we got it back to the sanctuary we could see this seal was far from right. We left it alone to rest overnight and on Monday we tubed rehydration fluid down its throat. To feed a seal you have to put a thumb (plus guard) into its mouth to hold it open...and as soon as we did that we realised this poor seal had a badly broken jaw at the tip. Last year we had a seal pup with a broken jaw - Robin - who had to be euthanised, and unfortunately there was no other option for this fellow. Yet while Robin was a feisty pup who really wanted to live, this young pup, despite being a good size, was clearly extremely unwell. He had no doubt been bashed about on the rocks around the north west coast of Muckle Roe in the big seas that have hit these isles this past weekend, so there may well have been more damage than just to the jaw. It's a tough time of year to be born up here in Shetland. Rest in peace, peerie selkie.

14/10/2026

We're happy to say that Westie the otter cub has made it through his first week at the sanctuary. He has started to settle down and is far less anxious than he was when he first came in. The squeaking in this video has largely come to a stop, and the next stage now is weaning him off the bottle, which he still battles with, and then weaning him off human contact as he moves on to fish soup...yum, yum! So far, so good...but still a long way to go.

10/10/2026

Look cute he might, but this little fellow is a battler, especially when it comes to the bottle. Rescued last Tuesday after mum booted him out of the holt and refused to take him back in, Westie has ended up at the sanctuary.

Now this has been not a little nerve wracking after recent experiences with otter cubs, but after five days he’s still squeaking, scratching, scrambling and finally agreeing to be fed. He’s a big boy, strong and probably ready to move on to a fish soup mix soon. Meanwhile we’re staying as steady at the tiller as we can. Fingers crossed.

All help welcome at https://www.hillswickwildlifesanctuary.org/donate/ Thanks a million!

09/10/2026

What a pleasant surprise this morning. Not only were there four seals in the bay at Hillswick, the most we have seen in many a year, but one of them was undoubtedly Flukler who not only came close in but even hauled out where we could distinctly see the pelt markings that identified him as the seal we released just short of three weeks ago. So anyone who may have been concerned about his welfare in the wild can rest assured he is well and enjoying life...and even seems to have made a few friends!

04/10/2026

His time finally came...the incredible acrobatic common seal pup Flukler - named after the mythical giant wizard from Fetlar - returned to the sea almost exactly three months after he was rescued on St Ninian's Isle beach in late June. It was a bit of a shock and at first he was reluctant to head off. Then he found his courage and headed out only to have second thoughts and race back to the shore. We finally left him exploring the seaweed in his new home, with every confidence that he will have a long and healthy life. Flukler has been as lively a common seal as we have ever had in the sanctuary, which is encouraging after so many have come in over recent years below par. That said, he is the only common seal pup rescued in Shetland this summer, which is perhaps a reflection of the reduction in numbers in these islands over the past five years - a decline of 45% according the the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University. Hopefully Flukler will do his bit to expand the population in years to come. Go Flukler go!

Address

Hillswick
ZE29RW

Telephone

+441806503348

Website

http://hillswickwildlifesanctuary.org/

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