Monarch was rescued on 14th November 2024
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A 5-6 weeks old male melanistic pure black seal pup was rescued on the 14th of November 2024 from the harbour in Port Isaac by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) volunteer marine mammal medics.
This unusual melanistic little boy had been washed in to Port Isaac and had been reported to the BDMLR area coordinators Michelle and Faye by a local member of the public who had kindly watched the pup until help arrived, keeping people and dogs away.
BDMLR volunteers, Michelle and Linda, headed out and met up on the beach and found a very underweight (14kg) exhausted boy. Michelle said "He was keen to give us the "Elvis look" showing teeth and snarling well with fear, but between us we gently distracted, jumped, tubed and gave a full assessment before he crashed out in the crate. Temperature was good 37.5°C with no external injuries of concern, but he had a very sticky mouth and sounded very respiratory. Thank you Linda as always, for being there for our pups, providing a taxi service for him, then heading off to another pup check.
The pup was named Monarch, and in the fantastic care of our BDMLR Seal Hospital team, apparently enjoying a heat mat."
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Photos Credit : Michelle Robinson-Clement - BDMLR
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Monarch is such a handsome pup! Only one in 400 seals are melanistic - meaning they are entirely black. The melanism is caused when too much of the pigment melanin has been produced, and appears in seals by giving them black eyes, fur and nails.
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Update - 26th November 2023 : Monarch spent 10 days in the BDMLR hospital and then was transferred to the Seal Sanctuary here in Gweek on the 23rd of November 2024, where he will continue his rehabilitation and get an xray to see if his rear flipper is broken.
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Photos Credit : Alison Davey - BDMLR
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This pup is learning how to eat for himself. Before Monarch is moved to the outside nursery pools for his next stage of rehabilitation, his wounds need to heal and he needs to start putting on more weight.
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These photos below were taken on 26th of November 2024 in the hospital.
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Update - 14th December 2024 : Monarch has now been moved to the outside nursery pools for his next stage of rehabilitation. This means he 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.
His flipper (right) tag ID number is SL311 (yellow).
These photos below were taken on the 13th of December 2024 in the nursery pool number 3.
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Update - 26th December 2024 : Monarch is now in the rehabilitation pool along with 2 other rescued seal pups, Purple and Caterpillar. This means that they are now almost 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 2024 :
These photos below were taken on the 5th of January 2025.
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Update - 10th February 2025 : Monarch along with Caterpillar, Barry Mantis, 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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