Cornish Blue was rescued on 18th August 2026
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Cornish Blue, a 2-3 days old whitecoat male grey seal pup, was rescued on the 18th of August 2026 from Porth Joke by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) marine mammal medics and Seal Research Trust (SRT) volunteers. After 48 hours of careful monitoring by the BDMLR and SRT teams, there had still been no sighting of the mum.
Sadly, the pup was becoming weak and it became obvious that the mother was not returning, so after contacting and liaising with the BDMLR´s area coordinator, a decision was made to take the pup to the Seal Sanctuary in Gweek for care and rehabilitation.
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Photos Credit : Andy Rogers - BDMLR/SRT
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All new seal pups arrivals at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary have to be tested for avian flu before admittance due to the risk to the resident animals, especially the puffins.
Upon arrival in the car park at the Seal Sanctuary, Andy, one of the BDMLR volunteers, was met by Anne (photo below) and Mel, part of the animal care team, who carried out the avian flu test. It wasn´t too long before the tests results showed negative.
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Cornish Blue was moved into the hospital and the local vet was called to carry out an assessment of the pup and prescribed a course of antibiotics.
He is being fed a blended fish soup every 4 hours to keep up the level of feeding that his mum would have provided, but even so, it is impossible for the team to emulate the nutrient rich and calorie dense milk that ensures pups are able to put on around 1.5kg a day up to their weaning at around 17-21 days.
Young grey seal pups like Cornish Blue, who still have their whitecoats, are much more vulnerable, too, which means the team have to take extra precautions in the hospital to ensure the pups are not stressed and get all the rest they need to put on weight for a healthy recovery.
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Update - 3rd September 2026 : At around three weeks of age, the pups undergo a "catastrophic moult". They shed the beautiful fuzzy white insulation to reveal their sleek, grey, waterproof adult coat underneath.
Babybel will remain in the hospital for a week or so then he will be moved outside to the rehabilitation pool soon to prepare for release back into the wild in the coming months These photos were taken on the 3rd of September 2026.
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How can you help?
Every year, tiny, vulnerable seal pups arrive at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s hospital needing specialist care, plenty of TLC and time to grow strong enough to return to the wild.
From their first days in our care to the moment they´re ready to swim free, as a sponsor your support is there every step of the way. Each seal pup costs us an average of £2,000 - £3,000 to rescue and rehabilitate, and some need even more specialist care.
By sponsoring a seal pup, you´ll become part of their journey and help provide the food, care and rehabilitation they need to get back where they belong, in the wild.
Choose from three sponsorship levels and help give a rescued seal pup the second chance they deserve.
To find out more about the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s Seal Pup Sponsorship.
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