Rebel Wilson was rescued on 6th October 2023
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Rebel Wilson, a 3-4 weeks old female grey seal pup, was rescued on 6th of October 2023 from Croyde in Devon by Christopher Berry and Stephen Cave, volunteer marine mammal medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
She was found dehydrated with a high temperature and a very large nasty infected painful wound on her back. Also had an infection in her gums.
The pup was taken to the BDMLR´s seal hospital for initial treatment and care until a pen was available for her at the Sanctuary´s hospital at Gweek on the 18th of October 2023.
She was prescribed a course of antibiotics and her wound is being treated with Manuka honey.
The cause of her injury is a mystery, but we suspect it could have been down to a boat propeller, an encounter with an adult seal, or even some sharp rocks.
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Photos Credit : Christopher Berry and Stephen Cave - BDMLR
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This photo of Rebel Wilson (below) was taken on 24th of October 2023, she is spending some quiet time in the isolation ward of the hospital.
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Update - 29th October 2023 : Rebel continues to have Manuka honey applied to help to heal the wound which is healing nicely.
You may ask what is "Manuka honey"....It´s produced by bees that pollinate the flower Leptospermum scoparium (L.scoparium), commonly known as the Manuka bush. Manuka honey´s antibacterial properties are what set it apart from traditional honey. It contains methylglyoxal as an active ingredient, likely responsible for these antibacterial effects.
The photos below were taken on 27th of October 2023, click here to see larger versions of these and further ones.
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Update - 10th November 2023 : Rebel has spent the past few weeks in the outside nursery pools, this means she is on the road to recovery and mixing with other seal pups, 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.
Her flipper tag ID number is SL257 (yellow).
Update - 1st December 2023 : Rebel has now fully recovered is at the perfect weight of 30+kg, ready to thrive back in the wild! She was released on 28th of November 2023.
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