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| Cornish Seal Sanctuary
| | Issue 210
| 17th December 2022
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Tamara Cooper, the Sanctuary´s Curator said "It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing the passing of our oldest boy and dear friend Babyface the common seal on 16th December 2022. This is a huge loss to the Sanctuary family, everyone who cared for him, worked with him, met him and loved him."
Babyface joined the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in 2010 when he came from Colchester Zoo at the ripe old age of 32-years-old. Even though he was already an elderly seal at this point, he still managed to get up to mischief (which is how we ended up with his two lovely sons, Bo and Buddy!). "
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"As one of the most gentle and calm seals here at the Sanctuary, Babyface has not only been a great support system for his pool mates but also for our animal care team. He loved his interactions with the team, with whom he built strong and trusting relationships over the years. He was always there when you needed someone to talk to and had a lot of enthusiasm for his daily training sessions – most likely due to his enthusiasm for fish!"
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Polly Frier, Animal Care Specialist at the Sanctuary, says "In fact, Babyface was always a great eater and loved trying lots of different fish (unlike his fussy pool mates who like only herring and mackerel). When he ate, he would stick his tongue out after he swallowed each fish which always brought laughter to the team and our volunteers. He was also very well behaved and eager to learn new things, from having his teeth checked to having his nails clipped, and was always first to come out of the pool at the beginning of a session for a nose tickle and a head scratch."
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Babyface started showing signs of being unwell in September this year when he went off his food and started losing a lot of weight. After a challenging three months of trying various treatments, the team decided it was best to let him go peacefully. He celebrated his 44th birthday in June this year, which is an incredible age for a common seal.
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Babyface had a heart of gold and brought so much joy and many smiles to the team. He had a very long and happy life here at the Sanctuary, where he was loved so much. The team will now be spending lots of time with Bo, Buddy and Jarvis over the coming weeks, who are going to miss their dad and pool mate, making sure they have lots of enrichment during this time.
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Jana Sirova, Head of Sanctuaries at SEA LIFE Trust, said " As we say goodbye to Babyface, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who met and loved him over the past 44 years, including his keepers at facilities he was at prior to coming to the Sanctuary, those who adopted him and our guests.
Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive to our animal care team at this hard time, and the wider Cornish Seal Sanctuary team who will miss him so much."
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