Purple Hairstreak Butterfly was rescued
on 7th October 2024
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A 4-6 weeks old male grey seal pup, was rescued on the 7th of October 2024 from Fisherman´s Cove near Porthreath by Dan and Alison of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) volunteer marine mammal medics.
This pup was found with a very swollen flipper and bite wounds. The pup was uplifted by the BDMLR medics from the beach and taken to the Seal Sanctuary in Gweek.
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Photo Credit : Alison Davey - BDMLR
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Upon arrival at the seal hospital, the pup was named Purple Hairstreak Butterfly. He was assessed by the Sanctuary´s vets who prescribed a course of antibiotics, because of the multiple bite wounds and a severe infection on his back flipper. The wounds will be cleaned twice a day with the medication hidden in his fish. After a thorough veterinary examination, it was clear that he would need surgery on his flipper.
For 2024/25 rescue season, the Animal Care Team has been chosen "Bugs & Mini Beasts" Theme for names and once the team see each new arrival, they expect to have a pretty good idea which name belongs to which pup.
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This photo below was taken a few days later on 9th of October 2024 in the hospital.
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Update - 26th October 2024 : Thanks to your generous donations and support, Purple underwent his operation on the 17th of October 20024, and the Animal Care Team are thrilled to share that he´s recovering well! He´s now ready to continue his rehabilitation until he´s strong enough to go home.
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The Team cannot Thank You enough for your incredible kindness - it´s because of you that we can continue doing what we do. A special thanks also goes to @roseveanvets for their outstanding care and expertise during Purple´s surgery!
Purple is feeling much better now and will soon start practising his swimming in the hospital pool.
These photos below of Purple were taken the next day after his operation.
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Purple seems to be enjoying having a bowl of water in his hospital pen!
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Update - 19th November 2024 : Purple was moved down to the outside pool for his next stage of rehabilitation on 18th of November 2024. This means he is on the road to recovery and also has a deeper pool to swim in. He is doing really well and will learn how to compete for fish which are all vital skills seal pups will need when they are released back out into the wild.
His flipper tag ID number is SL308 (yellow) - right flipper.
These photos below were taken on 18th November 2024 in nursery pool number 3.
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Update - 17th December 2024 : Purple is slowly putting on weight, he needs to reach 30+kg before he is returned back to the sea.
These photos below were taken on 13th December 2024 in nursery pool number 3.
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Update - 26th December 2024 : Purple is now in the rehabilitation pool, this means he is almost ready to be returned to the wild in the next few weeks..
These photos below were taken on 26th December 2024.
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Update - 5th January 2025 : This photo of Purple below was taken on 3rd January 2025.
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Update - 10th February 2025 : Purple along with Barry Mantis, Caterpillar, Monarch 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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