Pup update - 1st July 2025 : Grub is progressing very well in the rehabilitation pool and currently weighs 15.8kg. 15kg is the normal weight of a new born whitecoat grey pup, so you can see Grub has a long way to go before she reaches 30kg for the ideal release weight back into the wild.
Pup update - 8th July 2025 : When the animal care team goes in to clean Grub´s pool, apparently she hates them which is a good sign. We do not want the seal pups to interact with people. Don´t laugh...when the pool is being drained during cleaning time, she keeps trying to escape by following the water flow out through the vents, but she is too big!
Satellite tags update - 1st July 2025 : As you can see from the Satellite Nav tracking map for June...Selkie is still on her adventures around the English Channel up to Dover and Northern France and Dung Beetle is hanging around Southern Ireland.
The photo on the left shows only 7 trackers on the seal pups are still working.
The satellite tag study is the first of its kind in the South-west of England. It uses GPS tracking on 15 grey seal pups of the 2024/25 rescue season who have had tags attached before they were released back into the wild to examine their at-sea behaviour. The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is working alongside Dr Luis Huckstadt, senior lecturer at the University of Exeter who leads the study.
A BIG thank you to Jacob, Jay and Jacob from Cubert School Year 6 leavers who raised a fantastic £115.50 for the Sanctuary at their Summer Fair!
They created a 100 square treasure map and charged £1 a go to guess where the seal was hiding, as well having a competition for people to pick a name to win an awesome picture of our resident seal Banana, drawn by one of their very talented teachers.
Great job boys, you are definitely seal superheroes!
"Pup My Ride" campaign
A BIG thank you to everyone who has donated so far towards the Seal Sanctuary´s "Pup My Ride" campaign, with your help we have managed to raise £1,535 to date, allowing the team to purchase an all weather canopy for the seal pup rescue vehicle!
This vital piece of kit allow us to safely and securely transport rescued seal pups to our hospital, as well as providing them with a quiet sheltered space to transport them back home to the ocean.
But we still need your help to purchase more life saving equipment!
Click here to donate to the "Pup My Ride" campaign.
Yulelogs aka Logs is feeling so much better now. During the morning last week the Sanctuary´s vets had to sedate Logs for an xray. The dedicated expert animal care team specialists spent the afternoon and night observing Logs during his recovery.
Click here to see photos of the Logs and his resident seal friends which were taken this month.
Click here to see a selection of photos of Bo, Jarvis and Buddy.
Buddy´s Birthday Bash
On Sunday 13th of July the team celebrated Buddy´s 11th Birthday!
Is it really your birthday as if your sibling (Bo) doesn´t get jealous of the attention and tries to ruin your day!
Happy 9th Birthday Jarvis!
This time it was Jarvis´ turn to celebrate his birthday.
He celebrated with his pool mates, Bo and Buddy, and of course, enjoying some extra birthday treats for the team!
Adopt a Resident?
Give a gift that truly makes a difference, adopt a resident today and be a hero for wildlife!
By adopting one of the incredible resident seals or rescue puffins, you´ll be directly supporting their care and conservation! Your adoption helps to ensure that all of the resident animals receive the very best, from nutritious meals to expert veterinary support, and even fun enrichment activities to keep them happy and healthy.
Each adoption pack includes:-
- Certificate of Adoption
- A small Cornish Seal Sanctuary souvenir
- Photograph of your adopted resident
- Profile of your adopted resident
Every adoption contributes to the ongoing efforts of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, helping with the rescue, rehabilitate, and protect marine life for generations to come.
Your adoption not only supports your chosen animal but also plays a vital role in marine conservation. By adopting today, you become part of the Sanctuary´s mission to protect these wonderful creatures and their habitats.
Click here for more details.
Click here to visit the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s Official Online Shop.
Victory for Seals on Cornwall´s Coast
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary welcomes the news that Cornwall Council has passed a motion to discourage the sale of hollow flying rings, a simple yet significant step toward protecting Cornwall´s precious marine wildlife.
Flying rings, often sold for as little as £1, pose a serious threat to seals when lost or discarded near the coast. These lightweight plastic toys can become lodged around a seal´s neck, cutting into the skin and causing severe injury, infection, or even death. While some seals can be rescued and rehabilitated, the cost of care can reach up to £15,000 per individual, and not all can be saved.
"We are pleased that Cornwall Council has recognised and addressed this serious issue by considering a voluntary ban on the sale of hollow flying rings within Cornwall," said Grace Jones, Conservation Coordinator at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.
"We strongly support this motion as a vital step in protecting our coastal wildlife, particularly seals, from preventable injury and suffering. Over the years, our Animal Care team has witnessed first-hand the devastating consequences these toys can have on seals. Despite our efforts to treat and rehabilitate injured seals, prevention is always better than cure. By restricting access to these products at their point of sale, we can directly reduce the risk to wildlife before harm occurs. Taking this step shows leadership and a deep commitment to protecting the natural environment that makes Cornwall so special." Click here to read more.
Flying rings might seem like harmless fun, but they pose a serious risk to seals and other marine life.
That´s why we´re urging everyone to ditch flying rings and choose solid discs instead, especially near the water. Together, we can protect the wildlife that calls our coast home.
The former Owner and Director of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and Newquay Zoo has died at the age of 84. Mike Thomas, who was also a teacher, entrepreneur and author; passed away on the 22nd of June 2025. A proud Welshman born in Siloam, Wales, he was very much an adopted Cornishman as well, having lived in Cornwall since 1967. In July 1988 Ken Jones retired and sold the Cornish Seal Sanctuary to his friend Mike Thomas, along with Brian & Dotty Roper, and a Board of Investors.
In 1993 the Seal Sanctuary was sold to Vardon now known as Merlin Entertainments. Mike then took over the running of Newquay Zoo and changed it from a run down old fashioned attraction to a happy place for both animals and people. In 2018 Mike returned to the Sanctuary to celebrate it´s 60th anniversary and gave an entertaining talk to the guests, where he reminisced about the old times!
Click here to go to Falmouth Newspaper to read more about the Legend Mike Thomas.
As the Cornish Seal Sanctuary celebrates its 50th anniversary of rescues at Gweek, they´ve been looking to the next generation of ocean heroes to help mark their incredible milestone.
The challenge set to primary school aged children, was to design a celebratory logo to highlight 50 years of rescue, rehabilitation and release of seals at the Sanctuary in Gweek, Cornwall.
From colourful seals covered in plasters to seals eating pasties, the entries flooded in, and the Sanctuary team was blown away by the talent, imagination and love for marine life shown by pupils across the region.
After shortlisting the top entries with help from their amazing supporters in a public vote, the final decision was handed over to a very special judge, Sanctuary resident seal Banana! Faced with two fantastic designs (and a little fishy encouragement), Banana gave the winning design her "seal of approval"!
The winning entry came from a talented pupil at Mylor Bridge Primary School, whose vibrant design captured the Sanctuary´s legacy and dedication to protecting Cornwall´s marine wildlife, with the most adorable seal at the heart of it all.
Click here to read more.
Each released seal pup is given a flipper tag with an unique ID number. This helps the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the Seal Research Trust 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 around south-west England:-
Joy Division on 8th and 23rd July 2025 Orion on 1st and 24th July 2025 Prudie on 4th, 7th, 13th and 19th July 2025 Poppadom on 13th July 2025 Sacha Baron Cohen on 18th and 21st July 2025 Mayonnaise on 21st July 2025 Prudie on 23rd, 25th and 26th July 2025 Magnum on 31st July 2025
By monitoring the behaviour of seals after release back into the wild, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the SRT 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 Seal Research Trust volunteers to 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.
This news update has been put together by volunteers/supporters of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.
