| SAFFRON - RESCUED 11/10/02 | |
| Saffron arrived on the 11th October 2002. Saffron was found in the back garden of a man living on Tiree. He was very concerned about her as there were no other seals nearby and she was well above high tide level. After contacting the centre to seek advice, he placed her in a crate and put her on a ferry to Oban. She was collected at the far end by a member of the Animal-care team. | 
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| On arrival it was clear that she was still very young as her umbilicus was still attached and she still had her white, fluffy birth coat. After about 3-4 weeks this coat will moult and she will gain her adult fur. A very healthy pup, Saffron is very vocal and lively. She has already been weaned onto whole herring and will soon be feeding on her own. In a few days she should move into the weaning pool. For now she is having short sessions as she cannot haul out yet. | |
| UPDATE 7th December 2002 | |
| Saffron has been moved to our outdoor pools to make room in our nursery for three more pups. Her blood tests showed that she did not have the Seal Distemper Virus and there was no need to keep her in the hospital. It is important to keep her away from our new additions so she is not exposed to the threat of infection again. | |
| Saffron is feeding slowly and is being kept in a pool on her own till she can compete at meal times. She is otherwise in good health and putting on weight well. | |
| UPDATE 15th February 2003 | |
| Saffron is still as daft as ever. Despite having been in the centre for as long as Vanilla, Saffron is younger and still much smaller than our other greys. This is mainly due to her playing with her food at mealtimes. She likes to throw the fish and spin it around before swallowing it, this gives the other an opportunity to pinch the fish from under her nose. Saffron will hopefully be ready for release with Chilli and Pepper. For now she will be pampered like the baby she is! | 
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| Saffron Obit | |
| Sadly I have to inform all our website users that we have lost Saffron.
Our loss was a huge blow to all the team and left us deeply shocked. Saffron died on the 21st of February 2003 suffering from a rare protozoan parasite that attacks the digestive system. This infection is known as Coccidiosis and is very fast acting. We had noticed Saffron was eating slightly less than usual on Tuesday. This was not worrying as seals often have fluctuating appetites. On Wednesday she ate nothing and staff became quite concerned. Thursday morning she was moved to the pup hospital and our local vet came to examine her, and she was diagnosed. Saffron was treated immediately with an oral medication. When she was given fluids at 9pm she seemed poorly but very alert, but when she was checked at 9am on Friday she was found dead. Unfortunately the infection must not have been caught in time. I am sorry for the delay in this announcement but we felt it was best to inform all Saffron’s many sponsors of her death before posting it on our website. | |
| ***ADOPT A PUP*** | |