Say hello to Gelato, a four months old female grey seal pup.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) hotline received a telephone call on the 18th of March 2026 from a concerned member of the public about a young seal pup hauled on the rocks at Sennen Cove.
Alison, one of the BDMLR area coordinators, arranged for Alicia Wiley, Peter Perkins and Amanda Payne, volunteer marine mammal medics, to check on the seal pup.
Alicia said "The pup had a nasty wound on her upper-left jaw, (suspected to be a burst abscess at the time), plus other cuts/wounds to her front and rear flippers also. Peter, Amanda and myself reported our findings back to our area coordinator (Alison), and the decision was made to do a full health assessment. Based on our findings from a thorough check of the pup, it was decided that she would be immediately uplifted to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary for urgent medical care and rehabilitation."
Click here to read more.
Rehabilitation!
Pups Update : 28th of March 2026 - The whereabouts of the rescued seal pups. Do you have a favourite? all of the staff have their own favourite rescued pup(s).
Once the rescued seal pups are stable and are at a healthy weight in the hospital, they will be moved down to the outside nursery pools for their next stage of rehabilitation.
The rescued seal pups in the nursery pools are on the road to recovery and ready to mix with other seal pups, as well as have a deeper pool to swim in.
The pups will be learning how to behave in the wild, interacting with other seals and also competing for their fish, which are all vital skills the pups will need when they are released back into their ocean home.
The rehabilitation pool is the final stage of the rescued seal pups recovery! The pups in this enclosure are now healed of any wounds, recovered from any illnesses, and some just need to put on a few more kilos to get to the target weight of 30+kg before they are released back into the wild.
Rescued pups in the rehabilitation pool on the 2nd of March 2026.
Doughnut in the nursery pool number 4 on the 9th of March 2026 with Gravy in the next enclosure.
Release Time! - The Sweetest Ending : 12 Pups Head Home this Month!
After weeks of relentless rain and storms, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary is thrilled to announce the successful release of nine of their rehabilitated seal pups. During the first week of March, Fika, Jelly, Panettone, Pannacotta, Christmas Pudding,Cheesecake, Mochi, Roulade and Sierra, followed two weeks later by Cream Puff, Granita and Pancake, all finally went home after months of care at the Sanctuary, marking a hopeful turning point in the busy pup season.
The recent break in the weather has allowed the Sanctuary team to safely return these resilient pups to the sea. Some of these pups came to the Sanctuary as a direct result of storms, with seals suffering from injuries or exhaustion caused by the harsh conditions.
Several of this season´s 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 Sanctuary. This collaboration between the two organisations ensures that more animals can be reached quickly and given the best possible chance of survival. Click here to read the press release.
Fika, Jelly, Panettone and Pannacotta being released back into the wild on the 4th of March 2026.
Christmas Pudding,Cheesecake, Mochi, Roulade and Sierra being released back into the wild on the 5th of March 2026.
Cream Puff, Granita and Pancake were released back into the wild on the 23rd of March 2026.
This Easter become a Junior Marine Life Ranger!
This Easter embark on a wild adventure at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and become a Junior Marine Life Ranger! Young explorers can meet the rescue pups, seals and puffins, complete fun challenges, and take the Ocean Protector Pledge to earn their Ranger Status.
Enjoy seal pup rescue demos, animal talks and feeds, nature walks, and the adventure playground, plus, over Easter Weekend (Friday 3rd - Monday 6th April 2026), join the Golden Egg Hunt for a chance to win egg-citing prizes! Don´t miss this unforgettable family adventure - book your tickets now!
Launch of Innovative "Seal School" Education Boxes!
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is excited to announce the launch of Seal School, a brand-new educational loan-box scheme designed to bring the magic of the Sanctuary directly into classrooms and home education settings across the TR12 area.
For over 50 years, the Sanctuary has rescued, rehabilitated, and released seal pups in need. Now, thanks to generous funding from the Duke of Cornwall Marine Environment Fund via the Cornwall Community Foundation, local primary school aged children can discover the incredible stories of these rescued seal pups without even leaving their school setting.
Seal School loan boxes are packed with books, interactive resources, hands-on activities, and curriculum-linked learning materials that help pupils explore the world of seals and the challenges they face in the wild.
From understanding marine pollution to discovering how the Sanctuary cares for injured pups, each box gives children the chance to learn through real-life conservation stories.
Designed to support teachers in delivering engaging, meaningful lessons, Seal School helps spark curiosity, encourage environmental awareness, and empower young people to make a positive difference to the natural world. Click here to read more.
We hope you enjoy the selection of photos taken in March 2026, click here or on the photo of your choice below to see a larger version.
Billie is the Nice Resident this month for being brave on weigh day, hopping on the scales without being bribed.
However, Pumpkin is the Naughty Resident chasing the girlies around the pool and invading their personal space!
Fancy taking on your own personal challenge for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary?
A huge thank you to all of our amazing supporters who have shown our seals and puffins some love this February! Last month you have donated over £275 through our "Hugs & Fishes" fundraiser!
If you´d like to, you can still donate to this appeal, every donation goes towards the care of the residents. Please donate here.
Please note: While your donation is called "Hugs & Fishes", contributions help provide nutritious meals for the rescued seals and also support the ongoing care, rehabilitation, and core running costs of the sanctuary. Every donation helps keep the animals healthy, happy, and enables us to rescue more seals in need.
A big thank you to all the lovely 50 volunteers who came to show their support at our local beach at Maenporth near Falmouth on Sunday 29th of March 2026 for the Great British Spring Clean. This was collaboration between the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, One Bag Beach Clean and Surfers Against Sewage.
We can achieve so much when we all work together!
50 volunteers
32.1kg rubbish
2.1kg recycling
11 bags of dog poo....yes 11 poo bags...Yuk!
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
- 2 free entries to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary so you can visit your adopted friend
- Exclusive 20% voucher for the Café or Gift shop
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.
Treat someone you love to a gift with a difference!
Every purchase from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary´s Shop supports the animals in our care - From homeware and jewellery to animal adoptions...why not treat a friend, family, teacher, or a love one, to a gift that really makes an impact.
Cornwall Council voted unanimous for a Voluntary Ban on hollow Flying Rings on the 22nd of July 2025 and we are sure that your county wants to demonstrate that you are just as caring towards our marine life, so please push for a voluntary ban on flying rings in your areas.
We have 55,162 signatures so far and on our way to 100,000, so pushing for real change and action:- Local authorities voting on voluntary bans; retailers switching to solid disc frisbees; and growing awareness of the harm flying rings cause to seals.
Every name adds weight to protecting marine wildlife from unnecessary injury and suffering. Please click on this link! and share the petition and help keep the momentum going. Together, we can make beaches safer for seals.
This isn´t about stopping people from enjoying the beach; it´s about making a small, simple change that has a huge impact. Solid flying discs are just as fun, but unlike flying rings, they don´t pose a deadly risk to seals, dolphins, and other marine wildlife. By making the right choice, we can all help prevent the needless suffering of our coastal animals.
Each released seal pup is given a flipper tag with an unique ID number. This helps the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, the Seal Research Trust and other organisations 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:-
(c) Photo Credit : Terry Thirlaway - Frodo Baggins - 10th March 2026
(c) Photo Credit : Terry Thirlaway - Turtle - 10th March 2026
(c) Photo Credit : Terry Thirlaway - Mayonnaise - 29th March 2026
By monitoring the behaviour of seals after released back into the wild, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Seal Research Trust and other organisations 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 organisations 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.
We went to check on a seal haul-out during low tide in Cornwall this month - we hope you like our photos. Click here to see a selection of photos.
These photos were taken with Nikon Coolpix P1000 camera which contains a 3000mm zoom lens!
Mums go FREE...for a Wild Mother´s Day!
Whether you´re a Mum, Step-mum, Grandma, Nana, Nan, Nonna or even a Great-Grandma, enjoy a FREE* day out on us! Join us at the Sanctuary on Mother´s Day, Sunday 15th March 2026, meet the resident seals and puffins, hear from our dedicated teams and see our rescued seal pups before they return to the wild.
Enjoy a relaxing walk around the sanctuary, take in the views and grab a hot cuppa with a delicious slice of cake in our Café...or bring your own picnic to enjoy!
*To receive free entry mums must be accompanied by at least one a ticket holder.
This news update has been put together by volunteers/supporters of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.
