Welcome to our News Update for Summer 2024, if you are visiting the Hunstanton SEA LIFE, don´t forget to purchase your entrance tickets in advance.
Common Seal Pups Rescue Season 2024!
Rescued seal pups Sage, Lily and Snowdrop, spent June, July and August in the hospital.
At the beginning of September it was time for the common seal pups to move outside for the final part of their rehabilitation journey! When they are moved into the outside pool, it means they are on the road to recovery, mixing with other seal pups and getting used to a deeper pool to swim in.
Pups in the recovery pool 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.
Watch as they explore their new home for the next couple of months!
VIP Experience feeding the Green Turtle
Emily had the fantastic opportunity to experience the "VIP treatment" to feed Ernie, the Green Turtle, and his friends the sharks during the summer. She was particularly fond of Ernie, Emily was surprised he ate broccoli and lettuce along with his squid!
Photos Credit : Nicole Hodge
Would you like to do this?...Click here for more information and to book your VIP Experience.
SEA LIFE Global Beach Clean!
Another successful beach clean on Wednesday 18th September 2024 at Old Hunstanton beach.
In total we collected a whopping amount of 25.4kg which is the equivalent of two of our black tip reef sharks!
This was a lovely community event in order to tidy up our beaches after the busy Summer holidays!
Each year the SEA LIFE TRUST organise a 24 hour Global Beach Clean, encouraging ocean lovers from across the globe to take part in a collective effort to tidy up our beaches and water ways. We can´t wait to see how much we all collected this year.
Thank you so much to everyone that attended both dedicated staff and lovely volunteers!
Let´s work together to keep our oceans plastic-free and preserve marine life.
The Mermaid People are Back at Halloween!
The merpeople are back at SEA LIFE Hunstanton and this time getting a spooky twist!
We hope you managed to attend one of these events during the summer on 23rd/24th July and 21st/22nd August. Did you catch the Mermaid´s eye and you got a mer-mazing greeting!
Come and explore the full aquarium at these limited, intimate evening sessions, where you will also get a rare chance to marvel at the real-life mermaids, this October half-term on the 29th/30th of October 2024.
These toys are fine for gardens and parks (away from waterways which could carry them seaward), but if lost on beaches or in rivers they can get washed out to sea where seals and other marine creatures can encounter them.
We are delighted that major retailer "Pets at Home" no longer sells flying rings online as a result of the risk they pose to seals, so have phased them out in their stores. Also CVS Vets have removed flying rings from their stores. Wilco removed them from their shelves and websites last Summer, and it was reported that ASDA had taken these off coastal store shelves as well. Along with Sainsbury´s as well. The rings are also banned by the King´s Lynn Council in Norfolk and Tiverton Town Council in Devon.
We are trying to educate everyone about the risks these flying rings pose to wildlife in general and encourage the sale and use of a solid disc, spoked ring or x shaped boomerang as an alternative.
Please think carefully before purchasing a hollow flying ring!
Whilst you walk around Hunstanton sea front / promenade and also in local car parks, you may notice that the council have added "no flying rings on beaches" signs on their boards!
If you find a Seal in the Wild
For over 35 years Hunstanton SEA LIFE has been rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing seal pups from the North Sea coastline and beyond that find themselves in trouble, whether it be eye problems, respiratory infections and malnourishment to broken bones, pollution-related problems and being separated from their mother too soon.
A quick reminder that if you discover a seal pup that is in distress or alone, please call the Hunstanton SEA LIFE on 01485 533576 and/or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) team on 01825 765546.
The Animal Care Team are on call around the clock to race to the rescue of seal pups in trouble anywhere around the coast.
DO keep your distance;
DON´T attempt to handle or touch the pup;
DON´T attempt to put the pup back in the sea;
DON´T ignore the situation;
DO tell the appropriate organisation.
When you ring, please be prepared to give an exact location of the seal, your contact details, what condition is the seal in for example is it alone, thin, injured or seems unwell (noisy breathing, coughing, runny nose). Tell people around you to keep clear of the seal by at least 50 metres, if you can, draw a circle in the sand around the pup.
Remember most often seals come out of the water on to land to rest, digest after eating their food, relax and sleep.
What to do if you find a dead seal on beach!
If you come across a dead seal, the advice is not to touch or go near it, please call West Norfolk council on 01553 616200.
If you find a stranded living marine animal, please call the SEA LIFE Sanctuary on 01485 533576 and/or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) team on 01825 765546.
Souvenir Guide Books
Here are the front covers of the Sanctuary´s Guide book.
If during your next visit you purchase a copy, the profits go towards the care of the rescued seal pups in the hospital.
Click here to download Hunstanton SEA LIFE´s leaflet
This news update has been put together by volunteers/supporters of the Hunstanton SEA LIFE.
