Charity Support 2021/22 - The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary

As someone who spends much time wandering along Shetland’s coastline, capturing photos of inspiration for my creation of ceramics and taking in all that nature has to offer, I knew that from the get-go of Island Ceramics I wanted to support organisations revolving around ocean conservation or marine animals. It was not a difficult decision to make to have the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary as my first charity to support.

The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary take in animals in need of care such as seals and otters that are injured, poorly or have been abandoned or tragically separated from their mother who would not survive otherwise. A mother otter may abandon her cubs for several reasons. An inability to provide enough for both her young and herself, pressure from rival animals or even disturbance from humans. The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary also help to co-ordinate rescues of dolphins, porpoises and whales that from time to time become stranded on Shetland’s shores. At the heart of the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary’s work is looking out for Shetland’s marine environment and all the animals that inhabit it, and they believe that deepening our connection to nature and setting an example through education is of the upmost importance.  Their ethos is to rehabilitate and always release animals back into their natural habitat - the wild. They aim to deepen people’s recognition of the natural environment we all depend, to assist us all in living more harmoniously alongside the creatures we share this world with.

Shetland’s waters are full of fascinating creatures. I myself have gone looking for orca and stumbled across a family of otters instead, and in March I was lucky enough to see both humpback whales and orca within just a mile of each other! In the past few years Shetland’s coastline has even been visited by a walrus, basking shark and a bearded seal who hung around the Victoria pier in Lerwick. It is not difficult to find a variety of incredible animals along the coastline, be it by exploring rock pools, sitting at the top of the cliffs or having a wander along one of Shetland’s beautiful beaches.

The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary is the only wildlife sanctuary on Shetland. Jan Bevington founded the sanctuary in 1987 and since then has been awarded several awards by the Shetland Amenity Trust. She has also been awarded a lifetime achievement award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The efforts in one particular event to have been awarded for occurred in 1993, when the oil tanker the MV Braer ran aground in the south mainland of Shetland. Disastrously, 85000 tonnes of crude oil were spilled into the North Atlantic Ocean on Shetland’s coastline. Thousands of birds died as a result of this accident, and the sanctuary took in 11 otters and 37 seals to their care. Although, it could have been a lot worse if the oil had been heavy crude oil and if it had not been taken away, mercifully, from Shetland’s shoreline by the harsh weather to be dispersed into the North Atlantic.

It may come as a surprise to you to learn that even in seas around Shetland, marine animals face challenges due to our ways of living. Marine litter is a problem rooted in unsustainable consumption behaviours and patterns. Plastic being the most abundant material in this waste. The Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary have advice on their website regarding cetaceans, seals and otters in need of help and what to do if you come across an animal entangled in marine litter. Most often animals become entangled in fishing related waste, such as fishing nets. Rope, plastic bags and plastic drink holders are also common items of waste that can cause entanglement, often resulting in injury and death if an animal is unable to free themselves. Here in Scotland, the cetacean most commonly found entangled is the minke whale and it is estimated that by 2050 99% of sea birds will have ingested plastic. In 2000, a leatherback turtle was found entangled in a lobster line off Yell and brought to the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary. We are all contributors to the issue of marine litter, even if we live miles upon miles away from the sea. With so much information out there and many eco-friendly alternatives existing, we can make a conscious effort to live more sustainably. Small changes are better than none.

In the very early days of the sanctuary, Jan was making use of a paddling pool for her first seal casualty. Now the sanctuary is seeing the completion of some major refurbishment, with new seal pools installed, a new otter unit and a visitor centre built. The future is looking very bright for the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary.

10% of every mug that is bought on the Island Ceramics website goes towards the Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary. If you would like to make your own donation to this lovely organisation you can do so on their website. https://www.hillswickwildlifesanctuary.org/

Which marine mammal is your favourite?

Ellie