3 free : Released back into the wild

3 young seals were scheduled for release from the Seal Sanctuary at Gweek last week. Early mornings on a Cornish beach are always beautiful and despite the drizzle, this was no exception. The Seal Sanctuary land rover and trailer arrived at 7.30 and soon drew a small crowd. Sanctuary staff Tamara, Selina and Rachael were joined by a cameraman from Countryfile who was filming their video diary, representatives from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), the Godrevy Seal Group and members of the public. The 3 seal pups could be seen scrambling around in the trailer, trying to get a better view of their surroundings. The first to emerge was Camel, rescued on 6th November. At first uncertain, wearing yellow hat tag number 38, Camel sensibly took a good look around to assess his chances of getting to the sea before leaving the safety of the trailer. Keen to avoid the cameraman, Camel took the scenic route to the sea, pausing only once to turn back to look at the rest of us on the beach. Second out was Hope who had been rescued on the 1st December 2004. Hatless, but easily identifiable with only one eye, Hope left the trailer and headed for the sea, taking time out to pose for the cameraman. Once in the water, Hope showed no hestitation and had soon surfed past the breakers. Finally, Ribble (rescued on 9th November) emerged from the trailer wearing hat tag number 39. Ribble obviously had no intention of being left behind by Camel and Hope. Lifting his body clear of the sand, Ribble was moving so fast that he literally 'bounced' along the beach in front of us. The seals were seen to meet up in the sea, but they soon disappeared from view heading off to their new life back in the wild.

Sanctuary staff (far left) : Camel (mid left) : Hope (mid right) : Ribble (far right)

Countryfile Cameraman (far left) : Quick look back (mid left) : Posing for the camera (mid right) : Bouncing on the beach (far right)