Meet Churro, a 3-4 months old female grey seal pup, who was rescued on the 31st of March 2026 from Hemmick beach on the Roseland Peninsula by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) marine mammal medic volunteers. She was found dehydrated, malnourished, underweight at 17.5kg, lethargic with multiple puncture wounds around her neck, back flippers and a high temperature.
After a few days of fluids and sleep, Churro is feeling much better in the seal sanctuary´s hospital. She still needs some help with her fish, but hopefully when she is fully recovered and will start eating for herself. Once Churro is feeling much stronger, her wounds have healed and have put on some more weight, she will be moved outside to the nursery pools and make some friends. These photos were taken on the 8th of April 2026.
Update - 14th April 2026 : This photo of Churro was taken on 13th of April 2026 in the hospital.
Update - 6th May 2026 : Churro was moved down to the outside pools for her next stage of rehabilitation last week. This means she is on the road to recovery and also has a deeper pool to swim in. This photo below was taken on the 6th of May 2026.
Pups in the 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 SL387 (yellow).
Update : 1st June 2026 - Churro and Hot Cross Bun, the final two rescued seal pups for 2025/26 season, are now in the last stage of their rehabilitation and will soon be ready for release back into the wild.
To give them the best possible chance of survival, it is important that they do not become accustomed to human interaction. As part of this process, the animal care specialists team carefully manages feeding times, keeps direct contact to an absolute minimum, and only enters the enclosure when necessary for cleaning, health checks, treatment, or weighing.
The enclosure also includes private refuge areas where the pups can rest away from public view.
Thank you for helping us give these seals the best possible start back in the wild.
On the 10th of June 2026 the Cornish Seal Sanctuary released two rescue seal pups that had completed their rehabilitation journeys and were ready to go and live their best lives back in the wild (where they belong)!
Good luck and safe travels to Hot Cross Bun and Churro, the last rescue pups of the 2025/26 season!
Many of the pups were first responded to by British Divers Marine Life Rescue´s dedicated network of volunteers, who give up their own time to answer callouts, assist with rescues, and provide vital care for the animals in the critical days before they arrive at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. This collaboration between the two organisations ensures that more animals can be reached quickly and given the best possible chance of survival.
