Caterpillar was rescued on 9th October 2024
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A 5 days old female (whitecoat) grey seal pup was rescued after becoming separated from her mum on the 9th of October 2024 in Jersey.
With the only seal facility on the Channel Islands closed for refurbishment, the centre asked experts from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) charity if they could help. BDMLR were happy to help and the pup was transferred to the BDMLR rescue hospital in Cornwall for care and treatment.
The BDMLR´s theme for names this season is "insects and mini-beasts" so this pup was named Caterpillar.
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Photo Credit : BDMLR - 17th November 2024
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Update - 26th November 2024 : A month later the pup was transported to the Seal Sanctuary in Gweek on the 22nd of November 2024 for her next stage of rehabilitation.
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Caterpillar is slowly gaining weight, learning to eat for herself and will be learning to swim in the hospital pen. Once she has gained enough weight, she will be moved to the outside nursery pools where Caterpillar will continue her rehabilitation.
| Her flipper tag ID number is SL309 (yellow).
These photos below were taken on 26th of November 2024 in the hospital.
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Update - 14th Deceber 2024 : Caterpillar has now been moved to the outside nursery pools for her next stage of rehabilitation. This means she is on the road to recovery and also has a deeper pool to swim in.
Pups in the nursery pools will be learning how to behave in the wild, interacting with other seals and also competing for their fish, which are all vital skills they will need when they are released back out into the wild.
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Her flipper tag ID number is SL309 (yellow).
These photos below were taken on the 13th of December 2024 in the nursery pool number 4.
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Update - 26th December 2024 : Caterpillar is now in the rehabilitation pool with 2 other rescued pups, Purple and Monarch, this means they are nearly ready to be returned to the wild in the next few weeks.
These photos below were taken on the 26th of December 2024.
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Update - 6th January 2025 : This photo below of Caterpillar was taken on the 5th January 2025 in the rehabilitation pool.
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Update - 10th February 2025 : Caterpillar along with Barry Mantis, Monarch, Purple and Whirligig, have completed their rehabilitation and reached their ideal release weight of 30kg+. They were released back into the wild on the 7th of February 2025.
A few days before the pups were released, each pup was fitted with specialist GPS tracking equipment. This innovative step will provide valuable insights into the pups´ movements and behaviours as they return to the sea. The study, which is first of its kind in Southwest England, is part of the GPS tracking equipment for 15 grey seal pups of the 2024/25 rescue season being issued with the tags to examine their at-sea behaviour. The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is working alongside Dr Luis Huckstadt, senior lecturer at the University of Exeter as he leads this exciting pilot study.
Click here to see a selection of these and further photos of their release.
Photos Credit : George Tyrone Deacon - BDMLR
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