What is our mission?

We want to help create a place where we can protect and care for our marine mammals.

How it all begins

1. Rescue - We receive a call regarding a sick, injured or abandoned seal pup.

2. We pick the pup up and it goes straight to the vets - Where a vet health check will be completed and bloods taken.

3. On arrival at our centre - The seal pup will be placed in a pen with a heat mat and heat lamp if needed, for observation and treatment if needed.

4. Feeding - There will be an initial dose of rehydration fluids over the first 24-48 hours, followed by a delicious fish soup once they are fully hydrated. This will hopefully lead to assisted feeding with chunks of fish or whole fish, then to self feeding where the seal will be eating whole fish for themselves.

5. Pools - There will be an initial mild antiseptic fresh water, luke warm bath on arrival. Followed by pups being introduced to the paddling pool rockery area with a mini trampoline to haul out onto. They then move onto the larger pool, in deeper water where they will learn how to catch fish, build their swimming muscles, learn to dive & maybe socialize.

Caithness Seal Rehab & Release is a brand-new seal sanctuary which opened on the 1st November 2022. We welcomed our first seal pup on the 8th November 2022. We do have limited facilities in the way that we can only house four seals maximum at any one time. We do have two more emergency mobile pens if needed. This centre has been funded by ourselves (Phil and Clare Boardman) together with all the generous donations received from members of the public interested in supporting our worthy cause.

The main purpose is to rehabilitate sick, injured or abandoned seal pups. Seal pupping is seasonal, with Gray seals pupping between November and February and Common/Harbour seals pupping between June and September. (These are approximate timings) At certain periods we have no seals in our centre.

Apart from the general day to day care of the seals; we also complete a number of other tasks behind the scenes.

These may include:

Food Preparation in the way of our delicious fish soup, Multi Vitamins/Minerals, Salt Tablet, Kaolin, Cod-Liver Oil and Porridge.

Medical Treatments, this could be a mild antiseptic bath to eye treatment to administering necessary fluids.

Weighing the seals on a daily basis & recording their weights

Vet Visits if needed.

Recording of temperature, respiration rates, colour of mucus membranes and colour & consistency of faeces.

The cleaning of the pens on a daily basis, more often if needed.

Not to mention all the administration that goes with it.

40

SEALS RESCUED

35

SEALS REHABILITATED

35

SEALS RELEASED

Seals that have been rescued & released 2022/2023.

All seals are released in Brough Bay, Caithness. When the Bay is calm, the weather is good and the waves/swells are not too big.

We have six permanent volunteers that give their own time, that travel from as far as Lybster, covering their own fuel costs. All of our volunteers are at every release, if their jobs and family lives allow it.

We release all our seals at a healthy weight, normally at +35kg and in a very healthy condition. They need to be eating whole fish independently and catching fish in the big pool. They are transported down to the bay in large crates and released on the beach down in Brough Bay.

The public are more than welcome to watch all the releases.

Let's start caring together

The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It received royal assent on 29 May 1970.

In response to local declines in seal numbers, the Scottish Government introduced conservation orders under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 to provide additional protection on a precautionary basis for vulnerable local populations of seals.

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 provides for these existing orders to continue, and for new ones to be introduced administratively as Seal Conservation Areas.

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 protects both seal species found around Scotland’s coast – the harbour seal and the grey seal. The main legislation that protects seals in Scottish waters is the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. This Act also provides for Scottish Ministers to designate Seal Conservation Areas.