PLANS have been lodged to transform the site of a former gin distillery into an animal sanctuary.
The Eclipse Animal Sanctuary (EAS) is looking to convert the site at Dalton in Dumfries and Galloway to house a variety of species, including a wolfdog, lynx, turkey vulture and an American red fox, BBC Scotland News reports.
An application said the development would cater for around 20 rescue animals, alongside eight pet dogs.
The site, which is a few miles away from Lockerbie, opened as a distillery and visitor centre in 2017.
While visitor numbers are said to have reached up to 20,000 a year, the site closed in 2023 and was put up for sale with offers over £280,000.
The new plans which have been submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council are partly retrospective.
BBC Scotland News reports that the sanctuary will not be a commercial attraction, and will not operate as a business open to the public.
Under the plans, a residential property would also be built on the site.
Until permission is granted, the applicants said they hope to use an existing static caravan as temporary accommodation in order to undertake "round-the-clock animal supervision".
The sanctuary's stated purpose is the "rescue, rehabilitation and lifelong care of exotic animals".
A spokesperson for the sanctuary told the BBC that the project was self-funded and catered for animals that needed a "safe space to live".
They added that the sanctuary's lynx was rescued during lockdown, when it was at risk of being euthanised.
Many of the other animals have been saved from neglect.
The enclosures are inspected on site every day as well as annually as part of the conditions of the sanctuary's Dangerous Wild Animal licence.
