Caiman was rescued on 12th March 2017
Caiman, female grey seal pup, was rescued on 12th March 2017 from the Watergate beach in Newquay by members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) marine mammal medics. The pup had an injured jaw and needed teeth removed.
Update - 9th April 2017 : Caiman was found to have 3 loose teeth and an infected jaw making it difficult for her to feed herself. Paul Riley (Head & Head Veterinary Centre) had to remove 3 teeth and within 2 days after the operation Caiman was feeding herself!

Caiman was soon ready to move outside and flew through her rehab until the team noticed just days before her release date that she was passing blood in her urine.

Caiman´s flipper tag number is 346 (white).
Caiman - Photo by Claire Fraser
Update - 9th June 2017 : Caiman was soon ready to move outside and flew through her rehab until the team noticed just days before her release date that she was passing blood in her urine.

She was brought back to the hospital just 3 weeks after her admittance and was prescribed antibiotics and extra fluids in her fish. The urine infection persisted and in the end took 3 treatment changes and several months to finally clear. Caiman is a fantastic character that the team were delighted to finally been given the all clear to release.
Seal Release - 13th June 2017 Update - 15th June 2017 : Caiman along with Lobster, Mantis Shrimp, Fish and Flamingo were released on 13th May 2017 at Dollar Cove, Gunwalloe. The planned release is a major operation involving several members of the Sanctuary team.

The rehabilitation pool was drained, and then each pup was herded into a cage and then transferred to a trailer which was then driven onto the beach to be safely released. Click here to see a selection of photos of the release.
Update - 7th September 2020 : Caiman was seen on 29th July 2020 looking very relaxed by Saeed Rashid, a photographer from Bournemouth. Saeed was diving off Lundy Island.

Click here to see a larger version of this amazing image and a further two photos of Caiman.

Photo Credit : Saeed Rashid
Caiman - 29th July 2020

Back