Seal Pup "Morwenna" Gets Gweek Sanctuary´s
Rescue Season Underway



A female grey seal pup christened "Morwenna" has become the first casualty of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s rescue season. The Sanctuary have taken inspiration from the historical BBC drama "Poldark" for their rescued pups names.

The day old pup was plucked from a beach in West Cornwall on 2nd September 2017 after a day-long vigil by local wildlife volunteers and no sign of a returning mother.


Morwenna - Photo Credit Sue Sayer
Morwenna - Photo Credit Sue Sayer British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were called by a concerned member of the public as the pup had been sat on the beach crying for some time. BDMLR and Sue Sayer from the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) had been monitoring the pup for several hours to check whether there was a mother returning to feed her but unfortunately no mother was observed.

As she had been abandoned it was determined that she needed help, Sue Sayer and Tamara Cooper, the curator at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, abseiled down to the beach and bought the pup back up to the top.
A tough site to rescue a seal pup from, the team required a rope expert to be present and Phil Knight (a CSGRT charity trustee) volunteered to take responsibility for the safety of the rescuers Sue and Tamara.

A scramble followed by a steep abseil soon saw Sue and Tamara walking across the beach towards the pup. On closer inspection it was just tiny and baggy, furry bundle of bones.
Morwenna - Photo Credit Sue Sayer
Morwenna - Photo Credit Sue Sayer Tamara said "We knew straight away that the pup needed rescuing and this might be our only chance to save its life. I was easily able to immobilise the pup with a towel and assess its condition.

Fortunately its temperature was normal and it had no obvious injuries, so Sue and I bundled it into the seal rescue bag and carried it back across the beach."
Once Morwenna was up a quick assessment was performed where it determined she was a one day old female, otherwise in fair health.

"She is being fed every four hours and the team are just starting to introduce her to fish soup, to ensure she is gaining weight correctly" said animal care Curator Tamara Cooper.
Morwenna - Photo Credit Sue Sayer
Morwenna - Photo Credit Sue Sayer "She will be looked after in our indoor hospital for a few weeks, but as soon as she is feeding for herself she will move to the outdoor nursery pools."

For all the seal pups that come to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, they may have different reasons for being there but one thing remains the same. And that´s the dedication from the Animal Care team.
With up to 60 pups expected each year, the team like to plan ahead with the names of the new Pups.

This year the theme that has been chosen is characters from popular BBC historical drama "Poldark". And once the team meet the new arrivals, they have a pretty good idea which name belongs to which pup.
Pups in the convalescent pool 2015


Press Release issued by the Cornish Seal Sanctuary
For more details, please contact Georgina Shannon on 01326 221361
Issue Date: 12th September 2017


¦ Video of Rescue ¦ Morwenna´s Rescue Page ¦