Can you help Caithness seal rehab with fish donations?
The composite picture fronting this story speaks volumes and shows how local charity Caithness Seal Rehab and Release (CSRR) can work wonders for sickly seals.
Rudolph is shown with his body in good condition thanks to the efforts of the Seal Rehab facility at Brough near Dunnet and the difference from when he arrived is strikingly evident when compared to the thin and sickly looking pup on the right hand side.
The charity relies on donations from the public as it needs tons of fish to keep these animals healthy until they can be safely released back into the seas around the far north coastline. Husband and wife team Clare and Phil Boardman are behind the charity project and have around nine volunteers helping them.
"Hopefully things are going to quieten down a bit as the pupping season has finished but I will be looking for more volunteers when the pupping season starts for the common seals in summertime," said Clare who is a former veterinary nurse with over 20 years experience and almost six years' experience working with seals as a certified medic along with her husband Phil.
Clare calls CSSR a "hospital" for sickly seals and said it started up officially at the beginning of November last year. "The total number of grey seals that came through the hospital last year was about 16. Then we had six common seals after that. And the greys that we have had so far this year total 19 but we've released six."
Clare and Phil have made little posters they distribute around the area that contain information on what to do if you encounter a seal pup on the beach. "The advice is to leave it alone," explained Clare.
"Keep your distance. You're supposed to keep 100 metres away or more away from a pup. Keep your dog on a lead and away from the seal. Don't touch it, don't move it and do not chase it back into the water. If you can take a picture then do so and give us a ring if you're worried about it [details at end of article]."
The CSSR website states that the charity's seals are cared for "around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week". The pups are initially fed four times a day with a special seal soup and then switched to being hand-fed whole fish.
"Once this has been achieved and the pup is accepting whole fish readily, they will then get fed whole fish in the large swimming pool where they will learn to catch it for themselves, at the same time, exercising those swimming muscles," states the website. It also says that the caregivers are marine medics with varying amounts of experience.
The charity needs extra funds to help feed the seals and the public can help by sending donations. "The thing that costs us the most is the fish – mackerel," said Clare.
"We don't get any donated and have to buy it and since we had the common seals in we've gone through about five or six tons of fish. It's just under £1000 a ton, so it's not exactly cheap. The best way people can support us would be donations for fish. If they can't do that then there's an Amazon Wish List."
Clare says the seals often come in malnourished, dehydrated, underweight and even showing wounds from dog bites. "We've had quite a few come in this year with pneumonia and hypothermia. The common seals that we had in last summer were there due to human interference." She said that people flying drones low over seal colonies is becoming a serious issue as well as it frightens the animals and "can cause mayhem".
CSSR is the only seal sanctuary in Caithness. The other closest one is over 190 miles away on the mainland or a ferry trip to Orkney, which would make for a long and stressful trip for a young seal pup.
Website with more info: caithness-seal-rehab-release.co.uk
Facebook page: Caithness Seal Rehab & Release
Telephone: 01847 851 927
Email: sealrehabrelease2022@hotmail.com
Caithness Seal Rehab and Release address: Windhaven, Brough, Caithness, KW14 8YE
