The Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary, Oban

Owned by the same organisation as the Sea Life Centres, this aquarium and seal sanctuary is on the banks of Loch Creran.  The latest major addition is the arrival of Fingal and Sula, sibling North American River Otters from Mole Hall.

They have a magnificent pen, with several pools, one of which is a deep swimming pool, with an underwater viewing window.  Unfortunately, this window has been vandalised and replacing it will not be very easy.  During hot weather, they get fishy icelollies, and in winter, they have a heat lamp in their pen.  Their main keeper, Jamie, is doing positive operand conditioning training with them, with the encouragement of Paul Bullimore of Scarborough Sea Life Centre, who is overall otter curator for all the establishments.  The otters make good use of their pen, which is on many levels, with different substrates.

The site is flat, and paths are tarmacked or gravelled.  There is a large gravelled car park.  There is a good gift shop, and a cafe of the sausage and chips kind, like all Sea Life Centres.

The Scottish Sea Life Centre is at Balcardine between Oban and Fort William, on the  A828.  It is well-signposted and easy to find.

I visited Oban in June 2003.