Roach Bug was rescued on 6th January 2025 Roach Bug, a 10 weeks old male grey seal pup, was rescued on the 6th of January 2025 from Portreath beach by Chris and Peter, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) volunteer marine mammal medics. The pup was found malnourished and underweight for his age with a wound on his rear flipper. Chris, one of the BDMLR medics said "I had received a phone call from the area coordinator asking for medics who were available to go and check on a pup at Portreath beach.   When I arrived, the pup was found on the left hand side of the beach tucked just in by the slipway. " Chris continues "Peter was already on location.   He had already taken the breathing rate 44/2 quite elevated. No visual wounds that we were overly concerned about.   Small blood marks from mouth and also left eye looked noticeably different to what I´ve come across before.   Because the BR was higher than normal, it was decided to jump and assess.   Temperature was 37°c.   Strong pull on both front flipper.   No wounds.   Blood around mouth may have been from last meal.   Didn´t need to hydrate.   Left eye as mentioned before was nothing too concerning.   Unfortunately this chunky looking pup only weighed in at 16.6kg.   Looks can definitely deceive sometimes!   Speaking with Jenny it was decided to up lift for this one.   Now settled into the BDMLR hospital nicely.   Thanks to Jenny for coordinating and to that awesome team of vets plus crew - Natalie and Zoe that admitted the pup." Photo Credit : Chris Webber - BDMLR This photo was taken at the BDMLR´s seal hospital on 6th January 2025. Photo Credit : Chris Webber - BDMLR Update - 10th January 2025 : After being cared for at the BDMLR´s seal hospital for two days, he was transferred to the Sanctuary at Gweek to continue his rehabilitation on the 8th of January 2025.   Bug is learning to eat fish by himself and will practice swimming in the hospital before he can be moved to the outside nursery pools.   He currently weighs 15.6kg. The photos below of Roach Bug were taken a few days after he arrived in the hospital. Update - 12th February 2025 : Roach Bug spent about a month in the hospital before he was moved down to the outside pool for his next stage of rehabilitation.   This means he is on the road to recovery and also has a deeper pool to swim in. Pups in the nursery 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. Roach Bug´s flipper tag ID number is SL320 (yellow). These photos below were taken on the 11th of Februry 2025. Update - 15th March 2025 : This photo below of Roach Bug was taken on the 12th of March 2025 in the rehabilitation pool.   He is progressing well and will return to the wild shortly. This photo below of Roach Bug was taken in the rehabilitation pool just before he was released back into the wild on 31st March 2025. Update - 31st March 2025 : Roach Bug along with Dung Beetle, Leaf Cutter, Luis Woodlouse, Michael and have completed their rehabilitation and reached their ideal release weight of 30kg+.   They were released back into the wild at Perranuthnoe on the 31st of March 2025. On the day of their release, Dung Beetle, Leaf Cutter, Michael and Roach Bug, were fitted with specialist GPS tracking equipment.   This innovative step will provide valuable insights into the pups´ movements and behaviours as they return to the sea.   The study, which is first of its kind in Southwest England, is part of the GPS tracking equipment for 15 grey seal pups of the 2024/25 rescue season being issued with the tags to examine their at-sea behaviour.   The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is working alongside Dr Luis Huckstadt, senior lecturer at the University of Exeter as he leads this exciting pilot study. Click here to see a selection of these and further photos of their release. Update - 21st April 2025 : Roach Bug was seen in the wild in West Cornwall on 12th April 2025 chasing and hunting a small shoal of fish. Photo Credit : George Tyrone Deacon - BDMLR Update - 25th May 2025 : Roach Bug was seen at a haul-out in West Cornwall on 22nd May 2025. Photo Credit : Sue Sayer MBE - Seal Research Trust - 22nd May 2025 Each seal´s fur pattern is unique and enables the Seal Research Trust volunteers to track them for life.   Seals face many challenges, yet we all depend on them to balance our marine ecosystem, this is essential to make the oxygen we breathe.   Seals are our globally rare wildlife tourist attraction, helping diversify coastal economic prosperity.