Meet Panettone, a 8-12 weeks old male grey seal pup, who was rescued on the 2nd of January 2026 from Sennen Cove by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) marine mammal medic volunteers. He was found bright and alert but with a number of very nasty wounds on his rear flippers.
This pup was uplifted and taken to the BDMLR´s seal hospital in Cornwall for initial treatment and care.
The photos below were taken on the 10th of January 2026.
Panettone enjoying splashing around and having his dinner in the weaning pool on the 16th of January 2026 at the BDMLR´s hospital.
Update - 23rd January 2026 : After spending a few weeks at the BDMLR´s hospital for care and treatment, he has gained a lot of weight and responded really well to treatment.
Panettone was transferred to the Sanctuary´s hospital in Gweek to continue his rehabilitation journey on the 22nd of January 2026. Hopefully Panettone will hopefully be moving down onto site in the next few days to swim in the a bigger pool and continue with his rehabilitation process.
Update - 4th February 2026 : Panettone was moved down 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. This photo below was taken on the 4th of February 2026 in nursery pool number 1.
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 tag ID number SL378 (yellow).
How you can help?
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!
