This 5 months old male grey seal pup was rescued on the 10th of April 2026 from Nanjizel beach by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) marine mammal medic volunteers.
Dan Jarvis, area coordinator and Director of Welfare and Conservation, said "Thanks to vigilant members of the public calling the BDMLR hotline, we had located the pup with green netting buried deep in to its neck quickly. The seal was carefully assessed and uplifted for urgent veterinary attention. We have everything crossed".
Dan continues "Entanglements like this don´t stay on the surface. As a young seal grows, materials tighten, cut deeper, and can quickly become life-threatening".
The young seal pup was uplifted and taken to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary for care, treatment and rehabilitation.
Update - 14th April 2026 : The pup has been named Hot Cross Bun, he was found entangled in some discarded fishing netting, exhausted and dehydrated with a high temperature. Upon assessment it became clear that he had been struggling for several days but could not get himself free.
Hot Cross Bun is a good chunky pup and if he hadn´t become entangled would have likely continued to thrive on his own. Luckily some amazing people found the pup and got help. The animal care specialist team are taking very good care of him. The vet prescribed antibiotics and pain medication. His wounds are being cleaned twice daily. During the first 24 hours of being in the hospital, he was re-hydrated before carefully starting to reintroduce him to fish. Once Hot Cross Bun is feeling stronger and healed, he will be moved to the outside nursery pools to continue his reimbursement.
These photos were taken on the 12th of April 2026.
Update - 6th May 2026 : Hot Cross Bun was moved down to the outside pools for his next stage of rehabilitation last week. This means he is on the road to recovery and also has a deeper pool to swim in. This photo below was taken on the 6th of May 2026.
Pups in the 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.
His flipper tag ID number SL388 (yellow).
Update : 1st June 2026 - Hot Cross Bun and Churro, the final two rescued seal pups for 2025/26 season, are now in the last stage of their rehabilitation and will soon be ready for release back into the wild.
To give them the best possible chance of survival, it is important that they do not become accustomed to human interaction. As part of this process, the animal care specialists team carefully manages feeding times, keeps direct contact to an absolute minimum, and only enters the enclosure when necessary for cleaning, health checks, treatment, or weighing.
The enclosure also includes private refuge areas where the pups can rest away from public view.
Thank you for helping us give these seals the best possible start back in the wild.
After a few months of rehabilitation the Cornish Seal Sanctuary are delighted to share that Hot Cross Bun has been released back into the wild alongside his pool mate, Churro, on the 10th of June 2026!
From arriving at the Sanctuary as a vulnerable pup entangled in fishing netting, to growing stronger every day, Hot Cross Bun and the team, have worked hard to reach this milestone. Watching pups like him return to the ocean is always a special moment for the team.
Their release also marks the end of another busy pup season at the Sanctuary. We would like to thank everyone who has supported our rescue, rehabilitation and release work over the past few months!
Good luck and safe travels to Hot Cross Bun and Churro, the last rescue pups of the 2025/26 season!
Many of the pups were first responded to by British Divers Marine Life Rescue´s dedicated network of volunteers, who give up their own time to answer callouts, assist with rescues, and provide vital care for the animals in the critical days before they arrive at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. This collaboration between the two organisations ensures that more animals can be reached quickly and given the best possible chance of survival.
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary couldn´t do their work without you. Every year, we rescue seal pups in need of care from around the coastline. From wounds to entanglement to malnourishment; there are lots of reasons why seal pups might need rescuing.
Seal pups cost on average £2,000 - £3,000 to go through rehabilitation - and this doesn´t include those that require special care.
Click here to find out how to sponsor a seal pup from rehab to release. Thank you so much in advance!
