Sea Life Centres seem to call any exhibit for a non-fish-or-invert species 'Sanctuary' - Seal Sanctuary, Penguin, Otter or Turtle Sanctuary.
It's a bit of marketing spin, if you ask me, to tie in with the caring, slightly anti-'big animals in aquariums' ethos that they (used to) present. The penguins are just zoo stock, the sea turtles do tend to be 'rescued', but generally that means 'moved from a smaller aquarium'. The new Turtle Sanctuary at Brimingham includes a variety of freshwater turtles - some may be rescued animals (illegal imports?) but I would doubt if any came straight from being rescued to the SLC - bit of a coincidence for them to need rescuing at just the right time if so! All their otters are Asian Short-claws, so they haven't been rescued locally! The seals I'm not sure about.
There are four 'true' seal sanctuaries at Gweek, Oban, Hunstanton and Scarborough, and I think Weymouth takes on any surplus stock they have which can't go back.
