Appeal to build new dedicated seal hospital in Cornwall needs £30,000

British Divers Marine Life Rescue says the number of calls to sick and injured pups is rising

Author: Emma HartPublished 2nd Mar 2021
Last updated 2nd Mar 2021

A campaign is underway to help build a new dedicated seal hospital in Cornwall.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue spend the winter months helping injured pups around our coast.

Now they are trying to raise £30,000 for a purpose-built facility, that will have double the current capacity.

The group is hoping it will be built in the mid-Cornwall, in time for the next rescue season.

"The aim is to, hopefully, have it built over the summer and then it'll be open in time for the next seal rescue season. When they're giving birth to their pups around late-August/September is when we usually start to get our call-outs coming in.

"The new hospital will have ten pens in it altogether for seal pups. We'll have a prep area and food storage. We'll also have an office for out vet to work from. Also, very excitingly, a classroom that we can use for training and education".

Dan Jarvis, British Divers Marine Life Rescue

Why does Cornwall need a new dedicated seal hospital?

Cornwall is one of British Divers Marine Life Rescue's busiest regions in the country for calls to seal pups.

Around 90% of called to the BDMLR are to seal pups.

They face numerous threats even during the first few critical months of their lives. Sadly, many of these threats are a result of human activity- be it disturbance of mothers and their young pups, entanglement in discarded fishing gear, or being caught up in the increasing numbers of winter storms we are seeing each year as a result of climate change.

Partly as a result of these threats, the BDMLR is receiving more and more calls to seal pups each year who desperately need our help. They may have become separated prematurely from their mother, or be malnourished, sick or injured.

Its trained volunteers can attend these animals and ensure they are taken to safety. The aim is always to deliver them to a specialist rehabilitation centre as soon as possible, with the hope they are eventually released back to the wild.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue is trying to raise an extra £30,000 for a purpose-built facility in mid-Cornwall

What is the history of the current hospital?

For over 10 years now, BDMLR has not only been rescuing pups from around the South-West region, but also been taking them into its own seal pup hospital. This hospital acts as an essential overflow for the regions larger rehabilitation centres, and BDMLR aims to provide temporary, emergency care for seal pups until spaces become available at the larger centres. There they can fully complete their rehabilitation and get ready for release.

These first few days or weeks of a pups rehabilitation are the riskiest and the time when the level of care required will be at its most intense.

So far, the hospital has admitted over 550 seal pups who would otherwise have had nowhere else to go in their time of need. Each pup's care has been under the direct supervision of veterinary surgeons experienced with seals and supported by a fantastic community of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure pups are kept comfortable, fed and clean.

As the numbers of calls have increased, so have the numbers of seal pups who require urgent care. This has placed a huge demand on BDMLR's small hospital, with resources being stretched to their limits and volunteers working around the clock to ensure every pup gets what it needs. With the onset of the COVID pandemic, we have finally reached a critical point.

BDMLR is determined to keep up with the demands but, with no room for expansion at its current location, to do this it requires a new facility to be built.

It wants to open a brand new, purpose-built seal pup hospital with more than double the capacity it currently has. The building has been carefully designed to ensure an optimal environment for the pups during their first stage of rehabilitation. It will also feature a state-of-the-art training facility, enabling us to keep our volunteers knowledge up to date with the most recent developments in seal pup care.

How can I help?

"We are so excited about this project and the security it will provide vulnerable seal pups with for years to come, but to make it happen we urgently need your support.

"In order to reach our funding goal we need to raise another £30,000.

"You can help our campaign by making a donation, enjoying our rewards, sharing our story on your social media or even by holding your own fundraiser in support of our own (click the 'Start Fundraising' button to get started)!

"Any donations, big or small, will be very gratefully received and put to good use helping pups like Desi.

"Desi was rescued one night in November in the midst of stormy weather. He was exhausted, freezing cold and had various injuries. He was rescued by BDMLR medics and taken to our hospital for a full veterinary assessment and further treatment. Despite his temperature coming back up over the following night Desi remained extremely lethargic and the next day seemed to deteriorate further. In the afternoon, one of our medics witnessed Desi being very sick- it seemed he had unfortunately eaten a bird carcass in his search to find something to eat - and this had resulted in a very serious stomach upset.

"Desi remained very unstable for the next few days and there were times we thought he wouldn't make it. Our lead vet gave him a thorough check over each day, carefully monitoring his progress and adjusting the various treatments he was on. Combined with the care from the hospital's volunteers ensuring he was comfortable and fed appropriately, we eventually saw Desi turn a corner about a week later".

British Divers Marine Life Rescue

You'll find more information on British Divers Marine Life Rescue's Crowdfunder page here.