OUR RESIDENT COMMON SEAL - BRENDAN

This problem seal Brendan was moved into here at the Scottish SEA LIFE Sanctuary in 2011, where resident female Lora appears totally smitten by him. Abandoned days after birth, Brendan was rescued by the Irish Seal Sanctuary where unfortunately, he grew too accustomed to human kindness. After six months Brendan was transferred to a facility in the UK, and released into the North Sea in May 2010. He was soon in trouble again. He had clearly failed to integrate with other wild seals, and ended up begging fish from a sympathetic fisherman. Within a month he was washed up half-starved and when a rescue team arrived to collect him, he was being cradled in a woman´s arms on the beach.

After six months Brendan was transferred to a facility in the UK, and released into the North Sea in May 2010. He was soon in trouble again. He had clearly failed to integrate with other wild seals, and ended up begging fish from a sympathetic fisherman. Within a month he washed up half-starved and when a rescue team arrived to collect him he was being cradled in a woman´s arms on the beach.

Brendan soon gained strength and stamina again with the help of the animal care team at Scarborough SEA LIFE Sanctuary, but staff there noted that unlike other rescued pups he failed to bond at all with the resident adults. It was beginning to look like Brendan considered himself more human than seal, but Lora has changed all that in an instant. Lora was born here in 2007 and is a couple of years Brendan´s senior, but they hit it off from the word go. Having been released into the wild unsuccessfully once, Brendan´s carers were reluctant to take the risk of a second attempt. Happily, you only have to watch him with Lora for a few minutes to realise that he would not want to be anywhere else.

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