Helston's Mayor, Councillor Ronnie Williams, learns how to be a seal medic at the National Seal Sanctuary...watched by pupils from the local Boskenwyn School. It was all part of the official launch of a new attraction at the Sanctuary in Gweek, christened simply Seal Rescue. Rescuing seals has been a routine business for the Sanctuary for more than half a century, but now visitors will enjoy a deeper insight than ever before into the whole process…from initial rescue to eventual release.

Not only will they see real live pups at differing stages of recuperation, some visitors will get to take part in mock medical examinations with the help of a very real-looking model seal pup. The Seal Rescue investment has also seen the re-opening and redevelopment of an underwater observatory where spectacular underwater views of the 21 pups still awaiting a return to the wild can be enjoyed. There is also a new talks programme specially designed to explain seal rescue and care procedures in greater detail, as well as revealing amazing facts about the biology of grey seals.

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