Sarah Pegg, the General Manager for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, said "We would like to say a HUGE Thank You to one of our wonderful staff members, Kirk Russell and his band, "The Defibrillators", who raised an amazing £1,222.30 for our "Fund Our Future" campaign!
Kirk started the band (The Defibrillators) in 2011, made up of paramedics, hence the name! The band enjoyed success in pubs, clubs, festivals, etc, even doing a mini-tour of Florida in 2017!
Sadly, due to Kirk´s health (first brush with cancer), the band stopped playing in 2018. After Kirk´s current diagnosis (liver cancer), it was suggested that the band reform for a one-off, final performance. So Kirk arranged a final reunion on the 22nd of March 2025, at The Bruton Club in Somerset, in aid of the charities closest to his heart, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and British Divers Marine Life Rescue. The night was a great success, raising £2,444.60, which was split equally between the two."
Sarah continues "On the back of this, "The Defibs" have recorded at Abbey Road Studios, with a CD to be sold with profits being donated to the charities. What a sealy rock and roll star he is! We are so proud of you Kirk. Thank you so much!"
Leanne Attwood, Campaigns & Fundraising Manager for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, said "We´re sending huge congratulations to our fab supporter, Connie Hyndman, who raised an amazing £595 for the SEA LIFE TRUST Cornish Seal Sanctuary by running the Liverpool half marathon!"
Connie said "I wanted to challenge myself and do something I never thought I was capable of, and to raise money for a charity that I feel does really important work for wildlife and marine conservation".
Thank you so much Connie, what an achievement!
Sprint for Seals is BACK for 2025!
Join the Cornish Seal Sanctuary for a scenic 3km sprint, stroll or saunter around the Sanctuary to help "Fund Our Future" and build new pools for our resident seals! Don´t forget to wave at the seals as you pass!
Not local? You can still take part remotely via Strava!
- Win incredible prizes! For every £50 raised, you´ll earn one entry into our raffle, with amazing experiences up for grabs!
- Limited early bird tickets for just £8 don´t miss out!
The Big Give Green Match Fund
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary are thrilled to announce that they have teamed up with The Big Give #GreenMatchFund for an incredible opportunity: DOUBLE DONATIONS WEEK!
From Midday on the 22nd April to 29th April 2025, every donation, no matter what the size, made through the Big Give campaign page will be matched...that means DOUBLE the funds, DOUBLE the impact!
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary are aiming to raise £1,250, which means they will receive £2,500 towards building a new home for the resident seals!
- Your support can make this dream a reality.
- Double your donation.
- Double your impact.
- Be part of something BIG.
Ready to help fund their future? Only donations made through this link will be matched, so don´t wait... click now and make twice the difference! - This has now CLOSED - Thank you for your support.
Update - 23rd April 2025 - WOW!!!!
Leanne Attwood, Campaigns & Fundraising Manager at the SEA LIFE TRUST Cornish Seal Sanctuary, said "We are absolutely thrilled to share that we´ve hit our @biggiveorg£1,250 funding target in under 12 hours, all thanks to YOU! We are completely blown away by the generosity from our fantastic supporters, THANK YOU!
But the journey isn´t over yet! We´re incredibly grateful for the amazing support this campaign has already received and while donations are no longer being doubled, your support is still vital. Every contribution brings us one step closer to building a new home for our beloved resident seals.
So please, keep the momentum going by sharing and donating to our campaign, your donations will STILL help us make a HUGE splash for our seals!"
Pup Update - 8th April 2025 : Rainy-Bat (photo left) and Neil (photo right) are currently in the rehabilitation pool, this means they are both almost ready to return home to the ocean in the next few weeks, just need to put on a few more kilos!
Say hello to Scorpion, a 6-8 months old male grey seal pup, who was rescued on the 6th of April 2025 from Polpeor Cove in Lizard. He was found to have a severe respiratory infection, likely caused by lungworm, making breathing quite difficult. Scorpion also has some minor wounds to his flippers.
He has been prescribed a wormer alongside some supportive treatment which will help him to clear the worms and hopefully make him feel better very soon. For now, Scorpion needs a lot of rest to recover.
Pup Update - 23rd April 2025 : Neil and Rainy-Bat have completed their rehabilitation and reached their ideal release weight of 30kg+.
It was such a beautiful early cold spring morning as we watched the seal pups being released back into the wild on the 16th of April 2025. We all wished them both good luck and waved with tears in our eyes.
Click here to see a selection of these and further photos of their release.
Pup Update - 24th April 2025 : Scorpion spent just a few of weeks in the hospital before he was moved down to the outside pool earlier today for his next stage of rehabilitation. This means he is on the road to recovery and also has a deeper pool to swim in. He is doing very well and it will not be too long before Scorpion is released back out into the wild. Click here to see a selection of photos of Scorpion.
Scorpion heads home as pup season comes to a close!
Our final pup of the season, Scorpion, has made his return to the wild on the 30th of April 2025.
Rescued on the 6th of April 2025 from the Lizard with a respiratory infection, likely caused by lungworm, this chunky pup weighed an impressive 40kg, already 10kg over our usual release target. After just a short three-week stay in the Sanctuary´s hospital to recover, he was fit, healthy, and ready to head back to sea.
Thanks to your support, Scorpion is now back where he belongs!
It was a very special emotional moments for Kirk along with Tamara and Sean who had rescued Scorpion from the Lizard earlier this month...as they waved him goodbye!
Click here to see a selection of these and further photos of their release.
Turnip has been settling in wonderfully and is getting on really well! He´s been eagerly munching through the browse we've been providing and is starting to show some exciting natural Beaver behaviours, including signs of felling and damming.
With all this progress, he should be graduating to the larger habitat very soon! We
beaver-lievehe´s going to love his new space, stay tuned for more Turnip updates!
Adopt a Resident?
Give a gift that truly makes a difference, adopt a resident today and be a hero for wildlife!
By adopting one of the incredible resident seals or rescue puffins, you´ll be directly supporting their care and conservation! Your adoption helps to ensure that all of the resident animals receive the very best, from nutritious meals to expert veterinary support, and even fun enrichment activities to keep them happy and healthy.
Each adoption pack includes:-
- Certificate of Adoption
- A small Cornish Seal Sanctuary souvenir
- Photograph of your adopted resident
- Profile of your adopted resident
Every adoption contributes to the ongoing efforts of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, helping with the rescue, rehabilitate, and protect marine life for generations to come.
Your adoption not only supports your chosen animal but also plays a vital role in marine conservation. By adopting today, you become part of the Sanctuary´s mission to protect these wonderful creatures and their habitats.
Click here for more details.
Click here to visit the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s Official Online Shop.
Design a 50th Anniversary Logo for the Sanctuary?
A huge thank you to all the incredibly talented young artists who took part in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s 50th logo competition, the staff have been blown away by your creativity!
These were on display in the front of house reception over the Easter break.
Drum roll......We now have a Winner!
Judge Banana has given her "seal of approval" to Mylor Bridge Community Primary School! Massive congratulations, the team will be in touch soon to arrange your free class trip to the Sanctuary!
COFFEE, CAKE AND BEACH CLEAN UP AT COVERACK
Date : Thursday 8th May 2025
Time : 10am
Location : Meet by the steps opposite the The Bay Hotel in Coverack
Bring your friends and family for a coffee, cake and beach clean date! Enjoy a FREE hot drink and cake from Bay Hotel for all volunteers, and a FREE day pass to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary as a special thank-you!
Let´s keep our beaches beautiful, protect local wildlife, and have a fun day out!
Suitable footwear and clothing is advised. Children are welcome! All children must be supervised by a responsible adult. Don´t forget that everyone who takes part with the Cornish Seal Sanctuary gets free day entry* to the Sanctuary! *Pass must be redeemed within 12 months´ of beach clean.
A SMALL CHANGE WITH A BIG IMPACT!
At the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, we are always looking for ways to protect our oceans, and one major issue we´re tackling is single-use coffee cups.
That´s why we loved chatting with Chris Brown from The Good Cup, a revolutionary, plastic-free alternative with a clever built-in lid and fully compostable design.
It´s a simple switch that could make a huge difference!
Read more about The Good Cup´s mission for a greener future in our latest blog!
We hope you enjoy the selection of photos taken in April 2025, click here or on the photo of your choice below to see a larger version.
Each released seal pup is given a flipper tag with an unique ID number. This helps the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) to track and monitor where pups end up and how they are doing once they are back in the wild.
This month the following seals were spotted in the wild around south-west England:-
Fiyero - Photo Credit : Sue Sayer MBE & Kate Hockley - 7th April 2025
Moon Jellyfish - Photo Credits : Richard Brown and Giselle Eagle, Skokholm Wardens
Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales - 28th April 2025
The information regarding tagged seals seen in the wild is copyright of the CSGRT.
By monitoring the behaviour of seals after release back into the wild, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the CSGRT can use this information to define the best practice standards and policies that they can share with the international rescue community.
Each seal´s fur pattern is unique and enables the CSGRT volunteers to track them for life.
Seals face many challenges, yet we all depend on them to balance our marine ecosystem, which is essential to make the oxygen we breathe.
Seals are our globally rare wildlife tourist attraction, helping diversify coastal economic prosperity.
Roach Bug was released back into the wild on the 31st of March 2025 along the south coast of Cornwall, he was seen in the west coast of Cornwall on the 12th of April 2025 chasing and hunting a small shoal of fish.
