Mayonnaise was rescued on 6th January 2021
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Mayonnaise, 2 - 3 weeks old whitecoat male seal pup, was rescued on the 6th of January 2021 by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) volunteer marine mammal medics. He was found malnourished and underweight with some breathing issues.
Update - 22nd January 2021 : The seal pup spent a few days at one of the BDMLR´s holding facilities until he was transferred to the Sanctuary on the 15th of January 2021.
Mayonnaise has moulted his whitecoat and is doing really well. The animal care team have been gently feeding him whilst he learns how to feed for himself and he is recovering in the seal hospital.
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Update - 1st March 2021 : Mayonnaise is currently in the outside pool for his next stage of rehabilitation. He weighs 28.5kg.
Pups in the outside 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.
His flipper tag ID number is SL132 (green).
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Update - 18th March 2021 : Mayonnaise along with Egg, Fish Fingers, Pie and Spud have completed their rehabilitation and were released back into the wild on the 17th of March 2021.
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Update - 9th April 2026 : Mayonnaise was seen at haul-outs along the coastline of Cornwall on 15th & 27th November 2023, 15th & 29th December 2023, 12th & 24th January 2024, 27th & 29th February 2024, 1st March 2024, 5th April 2024, 17th May 2024, 15th August 2024,
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You may have noticed that Mayonnaise has a scar around his body, this happened between last sighting of the 8th of December 2023 and the next sighting on the 29th February 2024. Looking at the photos, he was entangled in a helium balloon plastic ribbon cord around his abdomen. Luckily he was rescued a few months later in mid August 2024, and the cord was removed.
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20th & 27th September 2024, 11th & 18th October 2024, 14th December 2024, 21st December 2024, 30th December 2024, 13th & 30th January 2025, 3rd, 13th, 15th, 20th & 24th February 2025, 3rd, 8th, 10th & 13th March 2025,
4th, 5th, 13th, 14th, 17th & 19th April 2025, 13th June 2025, 21st July 2025, 5th August 2025, 14th August 2025, 1st, 5th, 14th, 18th and 29th September 2025, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 13th & 16th October 2025, 22nd November 2025, 3rd, 9th, 12th, 22nd & 30th December 2025, 12th January 2026, 26th January 2026, 26th March 2026, 29th March 2026, 2nd April 2026, 9th April 2026 and 18th April 2026.
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Joyce said "It is easy to identify Mayonnaise when you see him hauled out resting on the beach in the wild, because of the distinctive rope mark around his body...I´ve seen him hauled on the south side of Cornwall, but today (9th of April 2026), I saw him on the west side of Cornwall as well. He has been recorded visiting at least three different haul out sites around the Cornish coast since last November."
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By monitoring the behaviour of seals after release 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.
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