First seal pup of the season arrives at sanctuary

A rescued seal pup is the first to arrive at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary this pupping season.

The pup, named Maggot, was rescued by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) from Porthtowan beach on a busy summer’s day.

Her name is in line with the sanctuary’s Bugs & Mini Beasts theme for the new season.

Maggot's arrival comes amid a warning to people to stay away from seals in the wild.

Dan Jarvis, director of welfare and conservation at BDMLR, said it had been a "very challenging" rescue given the time of year and volume of people present.

There had also been a chance the pup's mother could have still been around, so the team waited 24 hours to see if they would reunite.

Sanctuary creator Tamara Cooper said that when Maggot was brought in, she was the weight of a pup just a day or so old.

She also had an umbilical infection, so vets prescribed a short course of antibiotics.

Maggot is now being fed a blended fish soup every four hours to keep up the levels of feeding that her mum would have provided.

The pup has a "long rehab in front of her", says the team, which added it would "make every effort to give Maggot a second chance".

Sanctuary guests can view the little white-coated pup and hear from the team about the rescue, rehab and release process.

Both BDMLR and the sanctuary are also reminding locals and visitors alike that it is now the time of year where pups are beginning to be born around the south west of England.

Pups and their mothers are highly vulnerable to disturbances that can cause them to separate, sadly leaving the pup to starve to death, they say.

Coast users are urged to be alert that any beach or cave away from public beaches may have mothers and pups on them at any time for the next couple of months.

People should stay at least 300ft (100m) away, should not approach pups and must keep dogs on a lead.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].