In 1968, a fire destroyed a naturalist’s isolated home and killed his otter; he moved to a tiny island to build a wildlife sanctuary

In January 1968, naturalist and author Gavin Maxwell lost nearly everything when a fire destroyed his remote home at Sandiag on Scotland’s west coast. The inferno also killed Edal, one of the otters that had become central to Maxwell’s life and writing. The naturalist survived the fire and moved to Eilean Bàn, a tiny island in the Kyle of Lochalsh, where he hoped to create a new home and eventually establish a small wildlife park. According to the Eilean Bàn Trust , the island became Maxwell’s final home and remains closely associated with his pioneering work.

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