How totally AMAZING does this look....The Cornish Seal Sanctuary would like to Thank you so much to Jasmine and her team for creating this fin-tastic masterpiece!
They worked their socks off for 4 days making our admissions area look Amazing. Jasmine got in touch with the Sanctuary´s team recently and volunteered her time and creative flare to design something special for us...and wow! What an amazing job they did too!
We are super pleased to say that our new baby beaver is settling in well in the beaver nursery at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary after arriving on 12th of November 2024 . His enclosure has everything he needs, from a cosy lodge to sleep in, to an area where he can explore, build dams and learn typical beaver behaviour before moving into the larger habitat.
Can you spot the beaver exploring the pond in his nursery enclosure!
Little "Turnip" has joined us all the way from Scotland and is part of the Beaver Rehabilitation project, in conjunction with the Beaver Trust. Below is a short video of him arriving!
Mission Seal Pup : Tracking the Journey Home!
First rescued pups of the season head home with GPS tracking - a SWE first!
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary are excited to announce that it has released the first two rehabilitated seal pups of the season. After months of care and rehabilitation, Mary and Maggot have both been returned to the wild, but this time with a special mission!
Marking a new milestone in the Sanctuary´s history, the pups have been 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 South West England, will see 15 Grey seal pups 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 read the press release.
Pup Update - 19th November 2024 : Purple was moved down to the outside nursery pool for his next stage of rehabilitation on 18th of November 2024. JP, Klaus and Sun Beetle have been fitted with specialist GPS tracking equipment. The pups are putting lots of weight and will be returned to the wild in the coming month.
Click here to read the Press Release issued by Rosevean Veterinary Practice about the rescued seal grey pup Purple.
Pup Update : 29th November 2024 - The Cornish Seal Sanctuary received a telephone call from a member of the public asking to help a seal pup in distress at Gunwalloe Fishing Cove on the 22nd of November 2024. Initially mistaken for lifeless, the pup moved just enough to alert concerned onlookers, who quickly contacted the team.
Upon arrival Annie and Jack, members of the Animal Care Team, found a small grey seal pup weighing only 13kg, with injured flippers and a swollen jaw caused by a damaged tooth. After careful assessment, they brought him back to the Sanctuary for urgent care.
Thanks to a generous sponsor, this little fighter has been named Koweth and is already making great progress.
With his damaged tooth removed, Koweth has started feeding on his own and is well on the road to recovery. The photo below was taken on the 26th of November 2024 in the hospital.
A BIG thank you to our lovely business supporters, mother and daughter team Char & Clare from #MoonSeals, who have donated a fantastic £1,277 to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in products and donations since collaborating with us in 2022!
Having been regular visitors to the Sanctuary for the last 30 years, our seals hold a very special place in their hearts, and were part of the inspiration for their company name.
All of their beautiful products are hand painted, making each one totally unique! As well as donating 10% of each purchase on their Etsy website to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, we are thrilled to say we now have a limited stock of #MoonSeals items in the Sanctuary´s gift shop and online shop. The perfect Christmas gift, so get them while you can!
The new Calendar for 2025!
Get organised for 2025 by ordering your Cornish Seal Sanctuary calendar now, a must-have for all of our supporters! This would make an amazing Christmas present!
With amazing photography of our lovely residents from the Sanctuary´s annual calendar competition!
Have you tried a slice of delicious Iced Fruit Cake, Christmas Biscuits, or even or also Christmas Pudding Choc Cookie...All look and taste yummie! These are on sale in the Sanctuary´sCafé.
Click here or on the image below to see a selection of the Puffins photos which were taken in November 2024.
The Paddock Residents are Pygmy Goats, Valais Blacknose Wether Sheep and Greyface Dartmoor Sheep.
Click here or on the image below to see a selection of the photos of the Paddock Animals which were taken in November 2024.
Did you know...
Grey seals were the first mammals to be protected by modern legislation - the Grey Seals Protection Act in 1914!
Click here to see a selection of the photos of the Resident Grey Seals which were taken in November 2024.
Happy 9th Birthday to our beautiful Jinx!
This month we celebrated Jinx´s 9th birthday. She was rescued in April 2017 from Godrevy, Jinx was originally found dehydrated, malnourished and displaying signs of anaemia. After lots of investigation, vets found that steroids seemed to calm her condition (thought to be similar to irritable bowel syndrome in humans). Without the steroids, Jinx would become sick again, so the team decided to offer her a forever home.
Today, she´s loves being around her pool-mates and is now thriving in her own place among the residents!
Did you know...
When a seal is out of the water, they sometimes hold their body in a curved banana position, with their head and tail both in the air at the same time.
Click here to see a selection of the photos of the Resident Common Seals which were taken in November 2024.
A big shoutout to the 20 amazing volunteers who joined our beach clean on Tuesday 5th of November at Coverack! Together we collected 21kg (19kg general waste and 2kg recycling)! of waste, making the coast safer for our beautiful marine life.
We are also incredibly grateful to the Bay Hotel in Coverack, for keeping everyone fuelled with hot drinks and cake.
As you can see from the photos below, we found lots of discarded ropes, monofilament fishing lines, plastic bottles, plastic storage box, etc. And the most unusual find of the day...A pair of pants!
Let´s keep our beaches beautiful, protect local wildlife, and have a fun day out!
The next beach clean will take place on Saturday 14th of December 2024 at Helford Passage for a beach clean with our friends @OneBagBeachClean!
Meet in front of the Ferryboat Inn - time 11am
Don´t forget, everyone who takes part will receive a free Day Entry ticket* to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary!
All are welcome to join in, grab a bag and show some love for your ocean this Festive December.
*Pass must be redeemed within 12 months´ of beach clean.
A big sealy THANK YOU to our lovely supporters, 7 years old Ariana and 4 years old Zara Barnes, who raised a fantastic £282.54 for the Sanctuary!
After falling in love with our seals during a visit last year, they sold bracelets, cakes, and sweets, and Ariana filled all her friends in with some fun facts about seals. She also told everybody that they MUST go and visit the Cornish Seal Sanctuary!
Ariana hopes to be a wildlife conservationist one day and she hopes this is a little step in the right direction, maybe helping to rescue a seal herself one day. Excellent job you two!
Each released seal pup is given a flipper tag with an unique ID number. This helps the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) to track and monitor where pups end up and how they are doing once they are back in the wild.
This month the following seals were spotted in the wild by members of the CSGRT from around the coast of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly:-
The information regarding tagged seals seen in the wild is copyright of the CSGRT.
By monitoring the behaviour of seals after release back into the wild, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the CSGRT can use this information to define the best practice standards and policies that they can share with the international rescue community.
Each seal´s fur pattern is unique and enables the CSGRT volunteers track them for life.
Seals face many challenges, yet we all depend on them to balance our marine ecosystem, which is essential to make the oxygen we breathe.
Seals are our globally rare wildlife tourist attraction, helping diversify coastal economic prosperity.
