We've had a bit of a mysterious adventure at the sanctuary this past fortnight. In the evening after we had just released our two common seal pups Frankie and Munro back to the wild, Phil Harris from Shetland Seabird Tours - The Noss Boat arrived with a strange otter who was in a very poor way. He had been approaching people in Trondra as if he was tame. When we let him into one of our pens, he was so weak he could hardly walk and kept falling over to one side. We placed a bowl of mashed up fish in front of him and watched as he furiously tucked in, not really expecting him to survive the night. By the next day he had defied our expectations and was tearing up fish and swimming in his pool. We also noticed he had some fresh scarring around his right nostril, so perhaps he had been in a fight. We named him Bramble and carried on feeding him, but after a few days we found uneaten fish in his pen. We checked his box...no otter. We looked for possible escape routes. There were none we could see. Had he been abducted by aliens? A week later we received a call from the Scottish SPCA saying there was a tame otter curled up in an outhouse in a neighbour's house. Did we know anything about it? SSPCA inspector Debbie Anderson collected him and brought him back, whereupon he launched straight into a juicy haddock, eating it head first. He was starving. We still have no idea how he escaped. Our only theory is that he climbed the fencing and crawled out through the netting above the pen, which seems an incredible feat...but then otters are incredible animals. Just in case he tries it again, we have put in extra security and trust that we can build him up and let him back into the natural world where he belongs. Fingers crossed. #draatsie #otter #wildlife #shetland

The weather was perfect at the weekend to release Frankie and Munro, our two beautiful common seal pups, after months getting fat in the sanctuary. It was amazing to see their characters shining through right to the end. Gung ho Frankie, who survived three days without mum on Rerwick beach after being born three weeks premature, has been a feisty fellow from the start. He took longer to learn to eat independently but after five months in Hillswick he had increased his weight six times over. When it came to the release he was a real struggle to catch, so it was no surprise when he was tipped out on the beach he took off like a rocket. Munro was always more hesitant and true to form, he approached the open sea with caution, testing the water of this big new world. But it didn't take him long to join his playmate exploring their underwater playground and we watched with delight as they disappeared into the distance for a new start to life in the wild. Go boys go! #selkie #sealpups #commonseals #harbourseals #sealrelease #shetland #intothewild

There's no question these two young guns are ready to go out into the big wide world. They have been piling on the pounds over the past few weeks and are now both weighing in at more than 30 kilos. Only a few weeks ago Frankie would still only take fish from Lynn's hand, but now there's no stopping him and he's hoovering up the herring like it's going out of fashion. And what a live wire! When he gets excited he's a sight to see, almost leaping out of the pool and jumping over a bewildered Munro. To think Frankie came in three weeks premature in early May and Munro was just a few days old when he turned up a month later. Well it's time for the wild, boys! #selkie #sealpups #commonseals #harbourseals #shetland

Elder the otter cub from there Westside is a real survivor. You can tell by the speed at which she has taken to water and has advanced from fish porridge to eating whole fish. A very fast learner. She's pretty much ready now to move into an outdoor pen. It's getting wintery outside, but her thick fur will keep her warm as the temperatures plummet over the months ahead. #draatsie #ottercub #wildliferehab #shetland

It's wonderful to see our two common seals Frankie and Munro playing together in the big pool, building up their strength as they prepare to be released into the big wild world. They're both eating well and putting on the pounds so it won't be long now before they are ready to go and start fending for themselves. #selkie #commonseal #sealpups #shetland

There's nothing quite like having a bit of seaweed to play with. Frankie playing peek-a-boo in the pool. #selkie #sealpup #commonseal #shetland

Our two wee common seal pups Frankie and Munro continue to thrive under the brilliant care of Lynn Young and her family who have come to Hillswick to help out through the summer months. The seals are now big and strong enough to go outside during the day and enjoy the fresh air, but you can see that Frankie, recognisable by the stylish white spot on his forehead, is dominating the pool. He's also good at blowing bubbles. It's extraordinary how well he is doing after arriving as a three day old premature pup in early May. Munro is more timid, but he's catching up and beginning to stand up for himself. Frankie is now taking whole fish, while Munro is still on fish pieces having moved on from fish porridge. The next step is to see them eating independently. Can't wait! #selkie #sealpup #commonseal #harbourseal #shetland

The wonderful Greg McKinney is not only proving to be a natural seal carer during his stay at Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary, but he also produces delightful videos like this one of our two common seal pups Frankie and Munro enjoying the outdoors on some of the infrequent fine days we've been having here in Shetland over the past few weeks. As you can see, the pups are full of beans (mackerel beans, that is)! Music by Roman Senvk #selkie #sealpup #commonseal #harbourseal #hillswick #shetland

Our two common seal pups Frankie and Munro are getting to know each other at last. Having managed to get Munro through his early tummy troubles, we introduced him to his new playmate...except his playmate isn't very keen on playing. Every time Munro makes a move towards Frankie - the pup with the distinctive white spot on his forehead - he moves away. Frankie, who has more than doubled in weight since he arrived as a very premature pup weighing just 5 kilos, is now the dominant male. He hogs the pool and keeps Munro in his place. But you can see how much Munro enjoys his time in the water when he does finally get a chance to have a swim. While Frankie enjoys nothing more than sucking on a towel while he's resting out of the water. He's still just a wee pup after all. Once again many thanks to Greg McKinney who is doing a wonderful job looking after these two little pups, tube feeding and moving them on to small pieces of fish. #selkie #sealpup commonseal #harbourseal #shetland

Frankie the premature common seal pup continues to move ahead in leaps and bounds. Now twice the weight he was when he was rescued six weeks ago from Rerwick beach, he has now graduated to the paddling pool. Here he is taking his first dip, sliding into the pool, twisting and turning and even blowing bubbles. Clever boy! He's even started to take solids, a few small pieces of fish pushed down his throat. There seems to be no stopping him. All credit to Greg McKinney who is doing the lion's share of caring for the seals at the moment and doing a brilliant job. #selkie #sealpup #commonseal #harbourseal #shetland