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Seal Rescue Ireland’s Vital Work Continues Under Lockdown

13th April 2020
Cloudberry was nursed to full health after 10 weeks in the care of the Courtown sanctuary Cloudberry was nursed to full health after 10 weeks in the care of the Courtown sanctuary Credit: Seal Rescue Ireland

Seal Rescue Ireland has shared videos from its latest releases of seals nursed back to health at the Courtown marine wildlife sanctuary.

Honeysuckle and Clover’s return to the wild last Thursday (9 April) follows the release of Edelweiss and Hibiscus two days previously.

Both releases were done away from the public by special arrangement with the local authority under the current movement restrictions against Covid-19.

But the vital rehabilitation work of Seal Rescue Ireland and other such charities continues, while adhering to Government guidelines — and public support for their efforts is welcome now more than ever.

Another recent successful release was that of Cloudberry, the little Arctic seal pup who won the hearts of her carers after she was recovered from the Kerry coast ahead of Storm Brendan in January.

Over 10 weeks in the care of Seal Rescue Ireland staff, Cloudberry was nursed to full health and her ideal weight.

But the challenge was where and how to release her, as growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic in mid March ruled out original plans to fly her to Iceland or Scandinavia.

And what’s more, there were fears that if she were to remain in captivity much longer, she might become too dependent on humans and never be able to return to the wild.

So a compromise was reached and, acting fast, the team spirited Cloudberry to the far north of Ireland at Malin Head in Donegal, from where it's hoped she will have the best chance of meeting others of her species.

Seal Rescue Ireland has more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Wildlife
MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!