Seal-ly great!
THE IRISH SEAL SANCTUARY MOVED ITS NATIONAL HQ TO COURTOWN HARBOUR THIS YEAR. FINTAN LAMBE PAID A VISIT.
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THEY'RE CUTE. They're cuddly. But you can't hug these baby seals. Everything about the care of the seven baby seals at the Irish Seal Sanctuary in Courtown is aimed at preparing them for returning to the wild, and this means that human contact is kept to a minimum. The Seal Sanctuary set up its new national headquarters in Courtown earlier this year, and little by little over the summer months, the facility has started to take shape.
The Sanctuary currently has seven 'inmates', including one little Wexford chap.
'Slappy' was found at Carne and brought to the centre on Friday, August 13. One of the centre's managers Lynn Moore explained that he was severely underweight. 'He's an older pup, and had injuries and bite wounds on his flippers,' she said. 'He also had a tear from a fish hook on his mouth which had become infected.'
'He was probably starving out there and was trying to scavenge on anything he could find,' she added.
When we visited last week, Slappy was kept away from the public eye, receiving treatment in one of the twelve kennels which have been built at the centre. Because of the wound to his mouth, he had to be fed by tube to try help him regain weight.
The other six residents were on public view, and were busy swimming or basking in the sunshine by the two pools that have so far been completed in the woodland setting at Courtown.
When completed, the facility will have four separate pools to take the seals at various stages of recovery.
The first arrival was on June 12. 'They are usually with us for about three months on average, for rehabilitation,' explained Lynn. 'They are then released back to the wild where they came from.'
Members of the public are welcome to visit the facility; look around the visitors' centre and gift shop; and go out to the viewing area to see the seals.
'The seals don't seem to take any interest in the public at all,' said Lynn. ' They haul out, sleep, eat, and swim. Sometimes they show a bit of interest, but at this stage, they are used to it.'
The public are welcome to drop in to find out more about the work of the Irish Seal Sanctuary from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. There is no admission fee, but donations are certainly most welcome, as these help keep the centre running. Proceeds from shop sales also go towards the care of the seals.
Lynn said they are delighted with the interest shown by the public so far. On busy weekends, they have played host to between 300 and 500 people. Irish Seal Sanctuary volunteers and staff are only too happy to talk about the work they do, and will answer any relevant questions. More information on the Irish Seal Sanctuary's work is available on their website www.irishsealsanctuary. or you can join their group on Facebook or sign up for Twitter updates.
You can also call (053) 9424980 to make a group booking.
And if you want to hug a baby seal, then buy a seal teddy instead - at least it won't bite!
