Cornish Seal Sanctuary Issue 180 November 2020 Back Official Statements from the Seal Sanctuary Update : 27th November 2020 - HOORAY! Jana Sirova, the General Manager for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, said "Following the government announcement that Cornwall is Tier 1 and the national lockdown will be lifted, we are delighted to announce the Sanctuary will be re-opening on 2nd December 2020!!" "The seals and all our other residents are so excited to see our lovely visitors again, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Sanctuary!" To book your tickets, please visit https://bit.ly/3q8rip1. Update : 4th November 2020 - Jana Sirova said "Due to the government announcement made on Saturday, we are sad to announce that we will be closing as of Thursday 5th of November 2020 for the duration of the latest national lockdown. With the Sanctuary having to close for the second time this year, the loss of essential income to help us continue our vital work is proving detrimental, we need your support more than ever." "We are sending all of our love to you during this time, we promise to keep you updated on all of the Sanctuary animal antics to keep you entertained throughout the month and we hope we can see you all again very soon." "It costs our charity £23,000 a month for our dedicated animal care team to feed, provide daily care, vital medicines and equipment to the Sanctuary´s residents. We are now also in the midst of the seal pup rescue season with poorly seal pups here recovering on site, with each pup costing over £2,000 to put through rehabilitation. We know it is a tough time for everyone right now, but if there is any way you can support us we will be eternally grateful for your help." Seal Pup Releases of 2020/21 Season! Grapefruit (photo right), 4 weeks old female grey seal pup, was rescued on 5th November 2020 from Towan beach in Newquay by members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) marine mammal medics. The pup was found underweight with wounds to her head and side, and also had ulcers in both eyes. Click here to read more. Poppadom, 6 weeks old female seal pup, was rescued from Porthgwarra beach on 5th November 2020 by members of the BDMLR. She was very lethargic, weighing only 13.5kgs and had a high temperature. Click here to read more. Sprout, 5 weeks old female seal pup, was rescued on 8th November 2020 from Booby´s Bay near Padstow. The pup was very lethargic, weighing only 12.5kgs. Had lacerations on her back that were very deep and a puncture wound on her head. Click here to read more. Chips (photo left), 3-4 weeks old female grey seal pup, was rescued on 20th November 2020 from Little Porth, St Mary´s, Isles of Scilly by the BDMLR. Click here to read more. Photo credit : BDMLR On the morning of 5th November 2020 the time came for Chicken Nugget, French Fry, Cornish Pasty and Dim Sum to be released back to the wild and thrive in their natural habitat. The team took the pups to Porthtowan beach, however, due to the tide it was too shallow for the pups to make a successful release. The pups were then taken to Dollar Cove on the south coast and it was there the pups were successfully released back to the sea. Seal pups, Cherub, Empanada, Honey and Liz, have completed their rehabilitation and were successfully released back to the sea on 27th November 2020! The team took them to Dollar Cove, where all four pups went (almost) straight into the sea. A very smooth release, and now they can continue their lives, thriving in their natural habitat. BBC2´s "Cornwall with Simon Reeve" Check out the brilliant programme "Cornwall with Simon Reeve" on 15th November 2020 on BBC2 with a look into the wonderful seals who live around Cornwall and the challenges Cornwall is faced with. The Staff would like to Thank Simon Reeve for visiting the Sanctuary whilst on your filming adventures! Here is Simon with Megan meeting Banana in the convalescence pool. Stockings for the Seals The seals are missing you lovely lot visiting, so what better way to cheer them up than by helping them get delicious snacks and exciting toys to play with?! That´s right, Stockings for Seals is back! And this time the Sanctuary have made it available online so you can help give the seals some tasty treats or toys for Christmas from the comfort of your home. Visit the Sanctuary´s Shop to donate to Stockings for Seals. Staff will film the seals opening their presents on Christmas Day - so keep your eyes peeled! Gorgeous Illustrations of Residents! A huge thank you to Chloe Rolfe who is selling these gorgeous illustrations of the resident seals as prints and stickers, with 80% donated to the Seal Sanctuary. Please check out her shop on etsy IllustrationChloe and help support the Sanctuary´s vital work caring for sick and injured seals. https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/IllustrationChloe /TD> < A Rescued Seal Pup´s Rehabilitation Journey Chicken Nugget was the Sanctuary´s first seal pup rescued of 2020/21 season - watch her journey from being rescued in August, through rehabilitation at the Seal Sanctuary, and her release back to the sea in November 2020. Click here to watch the video. If you find a Seal in the Wild For over 60 years the Sanctuary has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing pups from the Cornish coastline and beyond that find themselves in trouble, whether it be eye problems, respiratory infections and malnourishment to broken bones, pollution-related problems and being separated from their mother too soon. A quick reminder that if you discover a seal pup that is in distress or alone, please call the Seal Sanctuary on 01326 221361 and/or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) team on 01825 765546. DO keep your distance; DON´T attempt to handle or touch the pup; DON´T attempt to put the pup back in the sea; DON´T ignore the situation; DO tell the appropriate organisation. When you ring an appropriate organisation, please be prepared to give an exact location of the seal, your contact details, what condition is the seal in for example is it alone, thin, injured or seems unwell (noisy breathing, coughing, runny nose). Tell people around you to keep clear of the seal by at least 50 metres, if you can, draw a circle in the sand around the pup. Remember most often seals come out of the water on to land to rest, digest after eating their food, relax and sleep. What to do if you find a dead seal on beach! If you come across a dead seal, the advice is not to touch or go near it, please call Cornwall Wildlife Trust on 0345 201 2626. Post Release Monitoring of Seals With each update we will name any tagged seals spotted in the wild by members of the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) around the coast of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly:- Riley on 3rd, 4th, 5th, 18th & 26th November 2020 Petunia 4th & 5th November 2020 Tess, Mawgan and Joy Division (photo left) on 26th November 2020 ©Photo of Joy Divison was taken by CSGRT Goonies and Puffa on 4th November 2020 Beast on 5th, 16th & 26th November 2020 Footloose on 5th & 16th November 2020 Cary on 10th & 23rd November 2020 Shirley on 10th November 2020 Shuttle on 12th & 23rd November 2020 Wham on 14th November 2020 Shrek on 16th, 19th & 26th November 2020 Billie Jean and Spiderman on 23rd November 2020 Hungry Caterpillar on 25th November 2020 Nampara, Wonder Woman, Orion on 5th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 23rd & 26th November 2020 Strawberry Shortcake on 4th, 18th, 19th & 23rd November 2020 This above information regarding tagged seals seen in the wild is copyright of the CSGRT. This news update has been put together by volunteers/supporters of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.

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