International Otter Survival Fund

What International Otter Survival Fund does

The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) is a Scottish-registered conservation charity (Charity Number SC003875; Company Number 109031) founded in 1990 by Grace Yoxon and Dr. Paul Yoxon, headquartered in Broadford on the Isle of Skye. It is dedicated to the conservation, protection, and care of the world's 14 otter species through a combination of direct animal rehabilitation, scientific research, education, and anti-wildlife-trade advocacy. The organization's core operational asset is an otter rehabilitation centre that has cared for 267 otters to date, with each animal receiving 12-15 months of specialist care (costing approximately £1,600 per otter, including food, veterinary care, and bedding) before release back to the wild.

IOSF's product portfolio spans five core service lines and several revenue-generating add-ons: (1) the Otter Rehabilitation Centre (a licensed facility under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021, Licence MAU 018840); (2) the Team Otter children's environmental education programme with clubs operating across multiple countries; (3) World Otter Day, an annual global awareness event on the last Wednesday of May now in its 10th year and spanning 50 countries; (4) the Otter Watch citizen-science project coordinating sightings reports in partnership with Cardiff University Otter Project and Scottish Rural College Edinburgh; and (5) the IOSF Otter Oscars annual awards. Supporting offerings include the OTTER peer-reviewed scientific journal (currently Volume 11), Student Research Grants, guided Otter Watching Day tours on the Isle of Skye (£126/adult, £52.50/child), and the Otter Shop e-commerce platform for merchandise and adoption packages.

The business model is donation-driven with diversified revenue streams: public donations via JustGiving, Give as you Live, easyfundraising, and Amazon Wishlist; corporate sponsorships at a £800/year minimum tier; merchandise and adoption packages via the Otter Shop; and experiential otter-watching tours. IOSF reports no parent company, no external PE/VC backing, no M&A activity, and no public financial disclosures. The organization employs 1-10 staff and operates through a global partner ecosystem coordinated by regional network leads across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, reaching supporters in 30+ countries.

Name

International Otter Survival Fund

Legal name

International Otter Survival Fund

Website

https://otter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Otter Survival Fund is a Scottish-registered conservation charity operating an otter rehabilitation centre on the Isle of Skye and coordinating global otter conservation across 43+ countries through research, education, and anti-wildlife-trade programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rescue, Transport & Emergency Animal Response (BPAGAIAB), Education & Community Outreach (Responsible Pet Ownership) (BPAGAIAK), Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation charity
• Otter rehabilitation services
• Environmental education programs
• Citizen science monitoring
• Animal welfare advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Broadford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: IOSF relies heavily on public donations as a conservation charity. Donors can make one-time or recurring donations, with various giving platforms including JustGiving, Give as you Live, easyfundraising, and Amazon Wishlist. Legacy bequests are also encouraged.
2. Otter Shop and Merchandise: Online merchandise store selling otter-themed products, donations, and adoption packages at https://ottershop.co.uk
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship program with minimum annual donation of £800, offering benefits including framed certificates, 20 copies of annual Impact Report, speaker presentations, and website acknowledgment.
4. Otter Watching Experiences: Guided otter watching day trips on Isle of Skye led by experienced staff (Grace Yoxon, Helen Stephenson, or Ben Yoxon). Adults £126/day, Children £52.50/day. All profits support IOSF work.
5. Adoption Programs: Otter adoption gift boxes available for purchase, providing care, food and vet treatment for otters until release.
6. Publications and Resources: Sale of educational materials, factfiles, and resources. Peer-reviewed journal OTTER published annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

The International Otter Survival Fund operates an otter rehabilitation centre on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, providing specialist care for orphaned, injured, and displaced otters before their release back to the wild. The charity also runs global conservation programs including the Team Otter children's education programme, the annual World Otter Day awareness event, citizen science monitoring through Otter Watch, and international training workshops across multiple continents.

Product overview

The International Otter Survival Fund is a conservation charity (not a technology company) offering a portfolio of conservation services and programmes focused on protecting the world's 14 otter species. Core services include: an otter rehabilitation centre on the Isle of Skye that has cared for 267 otters; the Team Otter children's education programme; World Otter Day annual global awareness events; Otter Watch citizen science monitoring; and guided Otter Watching Days. Supporting services include the IOSF Otter Journal (annual scientific publication), IOSF Otter Oscars (annual conservation awards), Corporate Sponsorship, Student Research Grants, and an Otter Shop for merchandise and donations. The organisation also conducts international training workshops across multiple continents and provides educational resources in multiple languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Team Otter: IOSF's children's environmental education programme focused on reconnecting children with nature and otter conservation.
• World Otter Day
• IOSF Otter Shop
• Otter Oscars
• Otter Watch

Products and services

• Otter Rehabilitation Centre

Quantifiable outcome

• 267 otters successfully cared for and rehabilitated for return to wild
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cardiff University Otter ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSF works with Cardiff University Otter Project who run a long term environmental surveillance scheme using otters found dead to investigate contaminants, disease, and population biology across the UK.
• Scottish Rural College EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSF works with Scottish Rural College in Edinburgh who carry out post-mortems for otters found in Scotland.
• Environment AgencyminorOthersFor dead otter reports in England, contact the Environment Agency at 03708 506506.
• Natural Resources WalesminorOthersFor dead otter reports in Wales, contact Natural Resources Wales at 0300 065 3000.
• WildLeaksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSF partners with WildLeaks for reporting concerns about illegal otter trade, cruelty, or poor animal welfare. Users can report to both IOSF and WildLeaks with confidentiality protected.
• William MgomocoreOthersIOSF's African Community Education Officer based in Tanzania. Attended IOSF workshop in 2015 and has since become passionate otter ambassador, visiting countless schools and fishing communities spreading otter conservation awareness.
• Asian Otter Conservation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSF coordinates the Asian Otter Conservation Network with regional coordinators across South-east Asia and South Asia including Aad Adrean and Jyoti Bhandari.
• Middle East Otter NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOSF coordinates the Middle East Otter Network with Co-ordinator Omar Al-Sheikhly.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wildlife Conservation Society: US-based international conservation organization running zoos and field conservation programs globally. Comparable in operating multiple program types (sanctuaries, research, education) under one nonprofit umbrella.
• Born Free Foundation: International wildlife charity focused on animal welfare and conservation, including work on wildlife trade. Comparable nonprofit model, donor/revenue streams, and anti-trade advocacy, though broader species scope.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Largest global conservation organization with overlapping wildlife trade campaigns and species protection work. Comparable in donor-driven funding model and global advocacy footprint, though operates at far greater scale.
• The Wildlife Trusts: UK-wide federation of 46 wildlife trusts with overlapping conservation, education, and citizen science programming. Comparable in nonprofit operating model, volunteer base, and education pipeline development.
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT): UK conservation charity operating wetland visitor centres, with overlapping visitor experiences, education programs, and species recovery work. Comparable charitable funding model and experiential offerings.
• Scottish Wildlife Trust: Scotland's largest nature conservation charity, with broader species coverage but overlapping Scottish habitat work, policy advocacy, and member/donor model. Relevant for comparable nonprofit conservation scale and Scottish geographic overlap.

Emerging players

• Sea Otter Savvy: US-based organization focused on sea otter conservation through ethical viewing practices and education. Comparable niche species focus with overlapping education/community messaging on ethical wildlife engagement.

Direct peers

• The Otter Trust: UK-based otter conservation charity also focused on otter welfare and public education, historically running an otter breeding and release programme. Direct peer given overlapping species focus, rehabilitation history, and UK geographic anchor.
• Asian Otter Conservation Network: Regional otter conservation network coordinated by IOSF across South and Southeast Asia, with comparable otter-specific focus on trade mitigation, community engagement, and habitat protection in otter range countries.
• IUCN Otter Specialist Group: Specialist group within the IUCN Species Survival Commission dedicated to otter conservation globally, coordinating research and policy. Direct peer in otter-specific conservation work and global species coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzJ
• Xx.com/IOSF
• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalOtterSurvivalFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-otter-survival-fund

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Otter Survival Fund