National Seal Sanctuary - Gweek
13th - 26th February 2012
The National Seal Sanctuary is a rescue and rehabilitation centre for grey seal pups in Gweek, Cornwall. They are respobsible for any stranded, injured or abandoned seal pups from around the cornish coast and get them back out into the wild as soon as possible. They also care for the resident seals would were not able to be released as pups as well as several rescued sheep, goats and ponies.
The Paddocks:
Ponies: First thing the ponies were given pony nuts to easier give Tuppence her medication as she has a hay allergy causing her to itch. Tuppence and the other two ponies, Muffin and Bracken, would then be let out into the field before poo-pickng the field and sweeping the yard and the stable. In the evenings the ponies were shut back inot the yard and given another scoop of pony nuts. They would be given hay nets over night, soaked in water to reduce the amount of dust Tuppence would be exposed to. The ponies were then haltered up, no mean feet considering these were rescue ponies that had been mistreated. In particular muffin who is partially blind and extremely skittish around people. Once they were haltered, the ponies had their feet picked and were groomed. Tuppence would then have a solution brushed into her coat to help with her itching and premote new hair growth.
Goats and Mini-Sheep: (Steve, Andrew, Patrick and Florence) One of the mini-sheep was suffering with foot rot and so over night the two of them were shut into their shed to try and keep their feet dry. In the mornings they are let out and along with the goats fed a scoopful of food. The yard and stables were then swept and their hay racks topped up for the day. In the evening the mini-sheep would be shut back inside their pen but the goats were allowed to roam their field and stable throughout the night.
Big Sheep: (Stanley, Bella and Bluebell) Every morning Bella would be given a dose of meloxidyl to reduce the inflammation in her joints. She is also underweight and would be given an extra bowl of sheep nuts away from the other two to hopefully increase her weight quickly. The other two sheep would be given a small amount of hay to distract them from Bella. They were them fed and the yard and stables swept. At the end of the day, the sheep would be shut back into the yard and Bella would be given a second bowl of sheep nuts and the hay rack would be filled up.
Occassionally in the afternoons we would take the Goats and Big sheep for walks around the site. They got really excited about getting out and exploring the site and the visitors really enjoyed meeting them too.
Seals
Commons: The commons pool houses three common seals; Babyface, Luna and Sija.
Convalesence: This pool houses the pups waiting to be released along with Ray, Fatima, Sheeba, Annika, Attie, Snoopi and Lizzie who are residents at the Seal Sanctuary and have some form of brain damage or eye problems meaning they could never be released into the wild.
Rehab Pool: Four RSPCA pups were being housed in this pool after being brought down from Wales. They were kept separate from the rest of the pups to make sure they didnt have any diseases that could be transferred between them.
SA Fur Seal Bay: Chaff and Andy, two male South African Fur Seals were housed in this pool. A father and Son, Chaff was born at the Sanctuary and Andy is an ex performing Seal.
Grey Seal Pool: The boys, Marlin, Flipper and Yuleogs, are all adult male grey seals. Marlin was born blind, Logs had spent too long before he was released and had started to chase children with buckets on the beach expecting fish from them and Flipper had swam through a chemical pollutant as a pup that had scarred his nose and had affected his breathed and the length of time he was able to hold his breathe and so all of the boys had become permanent residents at the sanctuary.
Sealions: Noito and Dieago (Patagonian Sealions) were on loan from Spain and Andre (Californian Sealions) used to be at Chessington but was not interested in performing for an audience and was extremely boisterous and so was moved down to the Seal Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary also houses 6 Humboldt penguins; Ivy, Ruby, Lola, Piran, Gilbert and Barney and the two otter brothers; Starsky and Hutch.
Routine:
8am - Arrived at the Sanctuary and began on the Paddocks.
10am - Prepare fish for the second feed, clean down fish prep and begin defrosted the next lot of fish. Give the otters their 10:30 chicks.
11am - Feeding the commons; Babyface and Luna new basic commands used for husbandry purposes but Sija, who was born in captivity, would get bored during the day and so had been taught a whole range of different tricks to keep her occupied at each feeding session.
After the commons the Convalesence pool would be fed, because of the pups we would have to try and hide while this pool was fed. By doing this the pups would not associate buckets or people with fish allowing them to be released successfully into the Wild.
Being ex-performing seals feeding Chaff and Andy was a lot of fun and they really had to work for their food. They could do all kinds of tricks to help with husbandry like opening their mouths and lifting up their flippers and a number of fun tricks such as; clapping, barking, fetching and stationing around the pool.
Feeding the boys was fun too, although at a much slower pace. Being able to work closely with them, it was possible to check their eyes and ears, feel along their backs and check their flippers and tails for any wounds of injuries they may have sustained. With logs it was also possible to get him into the pool where he could do several tricks like waving, targeting over the water and targeting a ball. Over my placement Logs became a firm favourite of mine because working so closely with him helped to create a bond.
The Sealion were very interesting, as a volunteer I was not allowed to go in and interact directly with them. They were fed in several different ways; underwater training, a throw feed from either the roof or the decking to give the boys some exercise or training inside the enclosure with the keepers. When the keepers go into the enclosure, it was necessary for one of us to go up onto the roof of the underwater viewing wearing a harness with a bucket of fish. The Boys could get very boisterous especially when they realised all the fish was gone. They could go as far as blocking the exit to the enclosure so the Animal Cate Team couldn't get out. When we heard the shout of 'last fish' we would have to throw fish into the water from the roof to distract the boys and allow the team to leave the enclosure without being hassled.
The feeds and talks then moved on to the Penguins and I was lucky enough to be able to feed them on several occassions. The penguins each have a different coloured band attached to one of their flippers and are fed by hand making it easy to note down which of the penguins has eaten and how much.
12:30pm: The Otters would get their lunch. The Otters could also be fed in several different ways; a scatter feed from outside the enclosure, a scatterfeed from inside the enclosure or target training from the door of the enclosure. This gave the otters a lot of stimulation because they would not know what they would have to do to get their food and would have to search around the enclosure to search for it. Their food would be coated with Vionate but they had learnt to recognise the smell of the powder and would wash all their food before they ate it to remove any traces.
2:30pm - Second lot of feeds
3:00pm - Close down the paddocks
As the fish are frozen they lose a lot of their natural vitamins and minerals, and so each seal is given a pill fish containing Aquavits. Ray, Marlin and Attie also have a thyroid problem and so get tablets to help control their weight and hair growth.
Only one seal pup was brought into the hospital while I was at the Seal Sanctuary. He was found on a beach with a bloody mouth and looking extremely tired and distressed. He was brought in and put into the hospital where the animal care team would restrain him to take his temperature, give him a long acting anitbiotic and a mulitvitamin injection. He was then thoroughly checked for any wounds or injuries he had sustained. His eyes were checked using a flourescent dye and his mouth was flushed out with saline solution. All of this information was recorded and filed with the rest of this years seal pups. We called him Fry.
He had to have several of his teeth removed by the vet because they had become infected after a blow to the jaw.
A few days after he was brought in I was able to assist with his 4 o'clock feed, Whilst one of the team restrained him I was able to check his temperature, wash and spray his wounds with saline solution, hibi scrub and an antibiotic spray and help him eat. When the pups are first bought in they are given a liquid diet and after that they are force fed fish. One fish would be left in with the pup after every feed, to help increase its interest in fish and get him eating on his own. He will stay in the hospital until he can eat fish by himself and will then be put into the nursery pools to get to grips with eating in water before being put into the Convalescence pool.
Being able to work so closely with these animals was a lot of fun and I really enjyed working with the animal care team. Being able to get so close to wild animals even ones that had been in captivity for so long,reminded me of how unpredictable they could be and how careful you had to be in their presence. I have a huge amount of respect for the animal care team and the long hours they put in to caring for the seal pups which are incredibly demanding and time consuming as well as making time for the residents at the Sanctuary.
The National Seal Sanctuary is a rescue and rehabilitation centre for grey seal pups in Gweek, Cornwall. They are respobsible for any stranded, injured or abandoned seal pups from around the cornish coast and get them back out into the wild as soon as possible. They also care for the resident seals would were not able to be released as pups as well as several rescued sheep, goats and ponies.
The Paddocks:
Ponies: First thing the ponies were given pony nuts to easier give Tuppence her medication as she has a hay allergy causing her to itch. Tuppence and the other two ponies, Muffin and Bracken, would then be let out into the field before poo-pickng the field and sweeping the yard and the stable. In the evenings the ponies were shut back inot the yard and given another scoop of pony nuts. They would be given hay nets over night, soaked in water to reduce the amount of dust Tuppence would be exposed to. The ponies were then haltered up, no mean feet considering these were rescue ponies that had been mistreated. In particular muffin who is partially blind and extremely skittish around people. Once they were haltered, the ponies had their feet picked and were groomed. Tuppence would then have a solution brushed into her coat to help with her itching and premote new hair growth.
Goats and Mini-Sheep: (Steve, Andrew, Patrick and Florence) One of the mini-sheep was suffering with foot rot and so over night the two of them were shut into their shed to try and keep their feet dry. In the mornings they are let out and along with the goats fed a scoopful of food. The yard and stables were then swept and their hay racks topped up for the day. In the evening the mini-sheep would be shut back inside their pen but the goats were allowed to roam their field and stable throughout the night.
Big Sheep: (Stanley, Bella and Bluebell) Every morning Bella would be given a dose of meloxidyl to reduce the inflammation in her joints. She is also underweight and would be given an extra bowl of sheep nuts away from the other two to hopefully increase her weight quickly. The other two sheep would be given a small amount of hay to distract them from Bella. They were them fed and the yard and stables swept. At the end of the day, the sheep would be shut back into the yard and Bella would be given a second bowl of sheep nuts and the hay rack would be filled up.
Occassionally in the afternoons we would take the Goats and Big sheep for walks around the site. They got really excited about getting out and exploring the site and the visitors really enjoyed meeting them too.
Seals
Commons: The commons pool houses three common seals; Babyface, Luna and Sija.
Convalesence: This pool houses the pups waiting to be released along with Ray, Fatima, Sheeba, Annika, Attie, Snoopi and Lizzie who are residents at the Seal Sanctuary and have some form of brain damage or eye problems meaning they could never be released into the wild.
Rehab Pool: Four RSPCA pups were being housed in this pool after being brought down from Wales. They were kept separate from the rest of the pups to make sure they didnt have any diseases that could be transferred between them.
SA Fur Seal Bay: Chaff and Andy, two male South African Fur Seals were housed in this pool. A father and Son, Chaff was born at the Sanctuary and Andy is an ex performing Seal.
Grey Seal Pool: The boys, Marlin, Flipper and Yuleogs, are all adult male grey seals. Marlin was born blind, Logs had spent too long before he was released and had started to chase children with buckets on the beach expecting fish from them and Flipper had swam through a chemical pollutant as a pup that had scarred his nose and had affected his breathed and the length of time he was able to hold his breathe and so all of the boys had become permanent residents at the sanctuary.
Sealions: Noito and Dieago (Patagonian Sealions) were on loan from Spain and Andre (Californian Sealions) used to be at Chessington but was not interested in performing for an audience and was extremely boisterous and so was moved down to the Seal Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary also houses 6 Humboldt penguins; Ivy, Ruby, Lola, Piran, Gilbert and Barney and the two otter brothers; Starsky and Hutch.
Routine:
8am - Arrived at the Sanctuary and began on the Paddocks.
10am - Prepare fish for the second feed, clean down fish prep and begin defrosted the next lot of fish. Give the otters their 10:30 chicks.
11am - Feeding the commons; Babyface and Luna new basic commands used for husbandry purposes but Sija, who was born in captivity, would get bored during the day and so had been taught a whole range of different tricks to keep her occupied at each feeding session.
After the commons the Convalesence pool would be fed, because of the pups we would have to try and hide while this pool was fed. By doing this the pups would not associate buckets or people with fish allowing them to be released successfully into the Wild.
Being ex-performing seals feeding Chaff and Andy was a lot of fun and they really had to work for their food. They could do all kinds of tricks to help with husbandry like opening their mouths and lifting up their flippers and a number of fun tricks such as; clapping, barking, fetching and stationing around the pool.
Feeding the boys was fun too, although at a much slower pace. Being able to work closely with them, it was possible to check their eyes and ears, feel along their backs and check their flippers and tails for any wounds of injuries they may have sustained. With logs it was also possible to get him into the pool where he could do several tricks like waving, targeting over the water and targeting a ball. Over my placement Logs became a firm favourite of mine because working so closely with him helped to create a bond.
The Sealion were very interesting, as a volunteer I was not allowed to go in and interact directly with them. They were fed in several different ways; underwater training, a throw feed from either the roof or the decking to give the boys some exercise or training inside the enclosure with the keepers. When the keepers go into the enclosure, it was necessary for one of us to go up onto the roof of the underwater viewing wearing a harness with a bucket of fish. The Boys could get very boisterous especially when they realised all the fish was gone. They could go as far as blocking the exit to the enclosure so the Animal Cate Team couldn't get out. When we heard the shout of 'last fish' we would have to throw fish into the water from the roof to distract the boys and allow the team to leave the enclosure without being hassled.
The feeds and talks then moved on to the Penguins and I was lucky enough to be able to feed them on several occassions. The penguins each have a different coloured band attached to one of their flippers and are fed by hand making it easy to note down which of the penguins has eaten and how much.
12:30pm: The Otters would get their lunch. The Otters could also be fed in several different ways; a scatter feed from outside the enclosure, a scatterfeed from inside the enclosure or target training from the door of the enclosure. This gave the otters a lot of stimulation because they would not know what they would have to do to get their food and would have to search around the enclosure to search for it. Their food would be coated with Vionate but they had learnt to recognise the smell of the powder and would wash all their food before they ate it to remove any traces.
2:30pm - Second lot of feeds
3:00pm - Close down the paddocks
As the fish are frozen they lose a lot of their natural vitamins and minerals, and so each seal is given a pill fish containing Aquavits. Ray, Marlin and Attie also have a thyroid problem and so get tablets to help control their weight and hair growth.
Only one seal pup was brought into the hospital while I was at the Seal Sanctuary. He was found on a beach with a bloody mouth and looking extremely tired and distressed. He was brought in and put into the hospital where the animal care team would restrain him to take his temperature, give him a long acting anitbiotic and a mulitvitamin injection. He was then thoroughly checked for any wounds or injuries he had sustained. His eyes were checked using a flourescent dye and his mouth was flushed out with saline solution. All of this information was recorded and filed with the rest of this years seal pups. We called him Fry.
He had to have several of his teeth removed by the vet because they had become infected after a blow to the jaw.
A few days after he was brought in I was able to assist with his 4 o'clock feed, Whilst one of the team restrained him I was able to check his temperature, wash and spray his wounds with saline solution, hibi scrub and an antibiotic spray and help him eat. When the pups are first bought in they are given a liquid diet and after that they are force fed fish. One fish would be left in with the pup after every feed, to help increase its interest in fish and get him eating on his own. He will stay in the hospital until he can eat fish by himself and will then be put into the nursery pools to get to grips with eating in water before being put into the Convalescence pool.
Being able to work so closely with these animals was a lot of fun and I really enjyed working with the animal care team. Being able to get so close to wild animals even ones that had been in captivity for so long,reminded me of how unpredictable they could be and how careful you had to be in their presence. I have a huge amount of respect for the animal care team and the long hours they put in to caring for the seal pups which are incredibly demanding and time consuming as well as making time for the residents at the Sanctuary.