NATIONAL SEAL SANCTUARY


Since our last update the Sanctuary has managed to do three releases at Gwithian, Church Cove and Porthtowan. At Gwithian we released Buckbeak, Huffelpuff, Luna and Dobby, if you had read the newspaper we did have to split our love birds up Dobby and Ginny. Ginny did not pine for long as she was sharing a pool now with Stinkweed, who she has fallen in love with.

Next we had three seals released at Gunwalloe, they were Pigwidgeon, Molly and Rebeus, all three were quickly out of the trailer and into the water.

Our third release was at Porthtowan which took a little longer then normal as RSPCA pup Triffid took around an extra half an hour to make his way into the water. The other pups released were RSPCA pup Scarlet and two we had rescued Malfoy and Sirius Black.


	After releasing four at Porthtowan on the 18th February 2010, a member of our Animal Care Team headed over to Godrevy after a report of a netted seal had been spotted on the beach. Dan headed down the cliff and luckily found the seal on its own that it was quickly picked up and brought back to the Sanctuary. The pup is a little girl and has been named Petunia, her netting injury has been cleaned and treated and a course of antibiotics to fight any infection.
Update: Petunia is doing really well and after only a short spell in the hospital, she was moved to our nursery pools.

In Nursery pools 1 and 2 we have Angelina, Mr Norris and Petunia. Petunia is still getting used to having to compete for her fish against other seals. Angelina and Mr Norris are feeding well and hopefully will soon be moved in to the Convalescent Pool. In Nursery 2 there is Tonks, Mad Eye Moody and Weasley, at the moment Weasley is the only one interested in fish. Hopefully the other two will not be far behind, but at the moment are more happy playing rather then feeding.
Pup Pool, Stinkweed, Dolores and Ginny are ready to be released and should be going sometime this week. In the Convalescent Pool SMRU, Beedle, Hooch, Snape, Peeves, Winky, Fawkes, Snowdrop, Pomona, Dumbledore, Rowena, Lilly, Ollivander, Ronnie, Neville and Lavender are all doing well, feeding happily for themselves, annoying the adults and singing at the top of their voices.

Bagshot (photo below left) is now receiving water everyday in her pen, this will help to heal the wound that the netting has left behind.

Gilderoy (photo below right) is taking a little longer to recovery from his damaged eye, but should hopefully have water in his pen over the next few days

Sija is doing well as always with her training and having great fun with the game called fish poles. This is where the team run along the outside of the enclosure dragging a fish in the water. Sija loves darting around the pool trying to catch it.

Sahara (photo below) when introduced to this game, felt that this required far too much effort and refused to move about.

Marlin (photo below) is still in the naughty pool, but is doing well with his training with the team, but we hope it would be to long before he is back in the pool with all his friends.

All the adults are trying to spend some quiet time by themselves but keep getting harassed by all the pups.

Andy and Chaff, there is only one word to describe these two...Fat! Both have put on a few kilos over the winter months and with summer just around the corner, they have both been put on diets to shed the extra pounds.

Jenna has built a new bridge unfortunately the Otters are a little scared of it. Starsky is a little on the porky side and needs to do a little bit of exercise to shift his extra pounds.

With breeding season nearly over with, Flipper and Yulelog are getting back to being the best of friends and both are now back to do their target training together on the haul out area.

		National Seal Sanctuary
		Issue 40
		1st March 2010