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On this page you can find out all about the progress of our rescued seals, pregnant mums etc.

April 2008

Two rescued grey seal pups were released this month, Newkie on the 3rd April and Chardonnay on the 10th. Both had recovered really well.
April sees the reopening of our tropical butterfly exhibit where butterflies from all over the world can be seen flying freely around you as you walk through the beautiful exotic plants.
On the 25th April Dorothy, one of our Soay sheep gave birth to our first lamb. The lamb has been named Ailsa and after a couple of days inside she is now out and about in the Pets Corner with our other sheep and goats etc. Our other ewe, Bamboo, is due to give birth any day now! Soay sheep are one of the oldest breeds of sheep and once could only be found on the island of Soay off north west Scotland. All of todays Soay sheep originate from 107 individuals moved from the island in 1932. (Pic. of Ailsa and Nicky Yeadon - right).

March 2008

Unfortunately, the two penguin eggs did not hatch. They were infertile so, hopefully, next time we might have more success.
On the 3rd March we released Whiskey, Red Bull and Snowball - seals that had been rescued in December and January.
Only one seal rescued this month (from now to June should be our "quiet time"). This grey seal pup was washed up at Chapel Six Marshes on the 22nd March. She had cuts on her flippers and was suffering the effects of lungworm. After four days of intense treatment she was looking a lot better and started to feed herself in the water. As she weighed 60lbs. when she was rescued it should not be long before we can release her. She has been "christened" Chardonnay.
On the 26th March we released Tia and Schnapps, two grey seals that had been rescued in January.
Our aquarium got some new residents this month - Seahorses were introduced to one of our tropical marine tanks. Seahorses are difficult to keep and a lot of research and preparation was done before finally putting them into their tank. We are hoping to be able to breed them in the future. ( see pic right).

February 2008

On the 4th February we got a telephone call from a member of the public to say that he had got a seal pup sunning itself on his lawn. Not something you see every day! Even stranger, the house was located in a village called Withern, about 5 miles inland from the sea. The seal pup, which was probably born at Donna Nook, had gone up a river from the sea and ended up at the local trout farm, and probably eaten a few too many rainbow trout before coming out for a rest on the lawn. We brought him back to Natureland to recover in the seal hospital as he was very underweight at only 28lbs. As at the 22nd February he has progressed to the seal hospItal pool and is doing very well. He has been named Newkie. (Newkie, pictured right, in the hospital pool).
On the 5th February we released Bateman and Sherry, two grey seals that were rescued in December. Their release was filmed by Channel 5's Animal Rescue Squad and is due to be on TV sometime in March.
One day later, on the 6th February, we rescued another grey seal pup from North Shore beach, Skegness. Approximately 5 weeks old he was underweight, had an infected wound on one flipper and damage to his mouth. After some TLC in the seal hospital Vimto is now learning to compete for food in the hospital pool.
As I am writing this, we have just returned from rescuing the latest seal pup. We were called out to Chapel Six Marshes early this morning by a member of the public that found the pup whilst walking on the beach. About 8 weeks old he is underweight and weak with infected wounds under his chin. He is getting a course of antibiotics in the seal hospital and, hopefully, will soon be making a speedy recovery. (Not yet named).
Our penguins have been sitting on two eggs for the past few weeks and they are due to hatch in the next few days. We are all keeping our fingers crossed.

January 2008

On the 2nd January we got a phone call from Coastwatch reporting an injured seal on the beach at Ingoldmells Point. It was a grey seal pup about 3 weeks old, female, underweight at 32.3 lbs and with a very badly infected eye. She was brought back to our seal hospital and named Asti. She was put on a course of antibiotics and eye cream was applied 3 times per day.
Two grey seal pups were rescued on the 6th January, both more or less from the same place - on the beach behind Butlins holiday camp! Both were underweight and about 4 weeks old. One of them had very sore eyes probably caused by windblown sand and the other had an injured rear flipper and blood around its nose. Both are receiving treatment in Naturelands seal hospital and have been named Whiskey and Tia.
On the 7th January we released two common seals back into the wild, Guinness (rescued in August) and Pernod (rescued in October). See picture right.
Later in the month, on the 21st January, another grey seal pup was rescued from the beach at Chapel St. Leonards. At approximately four weeks old he only weighed 26lbs. (The normal birth weight is about 30 - 35 lbs). He also had a gum infection and a cut near his left eye. Named Schnapps.
Scrumpy and Harvey were released into the sea on the 23rd January after making a full recovery following their rescue in December.
The next seal to be rescued was named Red Bull (continuing the drinks theme) and was found on the beach at Trunch Lane, Chapel St. Leonards on the 24th January. He was underweight and had breathing problems. He is being treated in our seal hospital.

December 2007

Everything was quiet at the begining of the month and then we had a very busy ten days.
On the 11th December we had a telephone call from the local Coastwatch group about a seal washed up at Ingoldmells. It was a female common seal about 5 months old. She was very underweight, had wounds to flippers and breathing problems. At the moment she is still undergoing treatment in the seal hospital at Natureland. She has been called Martini.
Our first grey seal pup of the year was rescued on 12th December from Anderby Creek. This male pup weighed 36.7lb which is underweight for a 3 week old pup. He also had some small cuts to his rear flippers. He has progressed well and is now in the seal hospital pool. Named Bateman after our excellent local beer!! Bateman (back) is pictured right with Harvey (front).
Another grey seal pup was rescued on 14th December from North Shore, Skegness, virtually on our doorstep. The normal birthweight for grey seals is 30 to 35 lbs, this one was only 26.2lbs. and about 4 weeks old. She also had very bad gum infection and possible seal pox. Named Sherry.
Two days later on the 16th December we rescued two grey seal pups on the same day, both about 3 weeks old, one came from the beach at Moggs eye and the other from Ingoldmells. Both were underweight and one had a bite on its neck. Named Harvey and Snowball.
Our next rescue was another common seal about 5 months old, from the beach at Ingoldmells on the 19th December. Suffering from lungworm and cuts to muzzle and flippers.
Unfortunately the two common seal pups that we rescued this month, Martini and the un-named one rescued on 19th December, both died from pneumonia despite our best efforts to save them.
On Christmas Eve we rescued a common seal pup from Ingoldmells Point. It is about 5 months old and was suffering from breathing problems caused by the parasitic lungworm. Named Scrumpy.
On New Years Eve we were called out to a grey seal pup at Chapel Point. It was about 4 weeks old and underweight and weak. He was brought back to Naturelands seal hospital for treatment. Called Murphys.
Meanwhile we are busy with our winter maintenance jobs.

November 2007

RELEASES
Gin, Tonic and J20 were all released on the 6th November.
Gin and Tonic were the two seals born this summer at Natureland and J20 was rescued on 9th August with a mouth infection and very underweight.
Sambuca and Margaritha were both released on 26th November.
Sambuca had made a speedy recovery after being rescued on 15th October and Margaritha took a little longer to recover - she was rescued on 27th August, very underweight, dehydrated and with a mouth injury. See photo right of Sambuca and Margaritha going back to sea.

October 2007

Two seal pups have been rescued this month.
The first one was on the15th October when we were called out to a seal up on Ingoldmells beach. When we arrived we found a 3 month old common seal with cuts to its muzzle and flippers, it also had very irregular breathing (usually a sign of lungworm). She was named Sambuca and after treatment in our Seal hospital started to look a lot better.
On the 17th October we were called out to another pup this time just to the south of Skegness Pier. She was very underweight (only 35lbs), had injuries to muzzle and mouth and also lungworm. Named Pernod is recovering in the Seal Hospital at the moment.
Five seals have been released back into the sea this month:
Budweiser and Fosters were released on the 8th October.
Tetley was released on the 15th October.
Tango and Malibu were released on the 22nd October.

September 2007

Gin and Tonic (the two pups born at Natureland) have been moved to the Rearing Pool with our rescued pups. Here they will learn to feed on fish before being released into the sea.
On 05.09.07 we were called out to a seal pup in distress at Gibraltar Point, near Skegness. This is quite a remote area and the rescuers had to walk about a mile and a half over tidal creeks and mud to reach the pup. It is very underweight for a 5 week old pup and also badly dehydrated. Once back at Naturelands Seal Hospital it was given rehydration fluids and antibiotics and will hopefully make a speedy recovery. He has been called Tetley. (See picture on right).
On the 27th September five of our rescued seal pups were released back into the wild. Cocoa, Cola, Tequila, Shandy and Stella had reached the target weight for release so, release tags in rear flippers, they were taken down to the beach behind Natureland and we said goodbye! It is nice to think we have given them a second chance in life.
An exhausted guillemot was brought to us from the beach at Chapel St. Leonards. He is currently recharging his batteries in the seal hospital and will be released when he has recovered.

August 2007

Below is a list of all the seal pups we have rescued in August 2007:
01.08.07:- Budweiser, Male, 2 weeks old, from Ingoldmells, infected mouth and gums, weak.
01.08.07:- Shandy, Female, 2 weeks old,from north Shore, swollen mouth, weak.
02.08.07:- Tequila, Female, 2-3 weeks old, from Anderby Creek, underweight, swollen mouth.
02.08.07:- Tango, Male, 2-3 weeks old, from North Shore, swollen mouth, underweight.
06.08.07:- Stella, Female, 1 week old, from Chapel St. Leonards, swollen mouth, underweight.
09.08.07:- J2o, Male, 2 weeks old, from Chapel Point, swollen chin, underweight.
23.08.07:- Guinness, Male, 3-4 weeks old, from Skegness beach, breathing problems.
27.08.07:- Fosters, Male, 4 weeks old, from Winthorpe beach, flipper wounds, underweight.
27.08.07:- Margaritha, Female, 3-4 weeks old, from Chapel St. Leonards, Underweight, weak.
29.08.07:- Malibu, Female,6 weeks old, from Skegness south beach, worms, infected mouth.
Some of the above seals have progressed to the Rearing Pool where they are taught to feed on fish in the water and are fattened up to the target weight we require before releasing them back into the wild. Others are still receiving intensive treatment in Naturelands Seal Hospital.
Two of our resident seals have produced pups. Victoria gave birth to a male pup on Saturday 4th August and Titch gave birth to another male pup on Saturday 11th August. The pups have been named Gin and Tonic! The pups will suckle from their mothers for approximately four weeks and then be transferred to our Rearing Pool where they will be taught to eat fish before being released with our rescued pups.

Pictures: Left- Victoria and Gin. Right - Titch and Tonic.
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July 2007

On the 1st July we were called out to a Common Seal pup washed up onto the beach at North Shore in Skegness. There was no sign of the mother seal so we brought her back to our Seal Hospital to be cared for. (See picture right). She has been named Cocoa (this years theme for names is drinks) and as she was only a few days old she would normally still be suckling from her mother. Dehydration is one of the most common ailments that orphaned seal pups suffer from so the first thing we do is to give them rehydration fluid via a stomach tube. They are also given a course of antibiotics and vitamin tablets. Cocoa progressed well and towards the end of the month was transferred outside to the hospital pool. From here she will go to the rearing pool before being released in a few months time.
After a long wait the second common seal pup of the year was rescued on the 31st July from the beach at Anderby Creek. This one (named Cola) had a badly swollen, infected muzzle and was also dehydrated.

June 2007

An exhausted Gannet was found on the beach and brought to us for attention. After a thorough examination we could see that he was very thin and had probably been battered about in the bad weather. After a couple of weeks bed and breakfast he was strong enough for release. (See pic right).
Several of the ducks and ducklings have also been released.
The herring gull with a broken wing has been passed on to another rescue centre for long term treatment.
Worrying reports from Denmark where 41 seals have been reported to have died in a new outbreak of the phocine distemper virus.

May 2007

Blossom, a grey seal pup rescued in March, was released back into the sea on the 14th May.
Apple, Pine and Lilac continue to make good progress and should be ready for release in the next few weeks.
No rescued seals this month but we have been kept busy with orphaned ducklings and injured ducks and a herring gull with a broken wing.
Recent new arrivals at Natureland include three Soay sheep, a Frilled lizard and the return of the tropical butterflies.
The three Soay sheep in the Pets Corner are part of our off site breeding flock. Until just over 100 years ago these sheep could only be found on the island of Soay off the north coast of Scotland.They are probably the oldest breed of sheep and were once in danger of extinction. We are members of the Soay Sheep Society and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Our three Soays are called Bracken (ram), Bamboo and Dorothy (ewes). Bracken is pictured above.
The Frilled lizard came from an organization called Proteus Reptile Rescue which rescues and rehomes any type of reptiles.
May sees the return of the Tropical Butterflies to our Floral Palace where visitors can walk through the beautiful plants whilst the butterflies fly all around.

April 2007

At the end of the month, Apple, the seal rescued on 10th April has made a fantastic recovery and is steadily putting on weight. (Apple is pictured right with Pine in the background).
A 4 month old grey seal was washed ashore on the 22nd April at Chapel Point. She had a very swollen, infected jaw and muzzle aswell as cuts to her rear flippers. We called her Lilac and after a course of antibiotics the swelling went down and she began to feed well enough to be transferred to the rearing pool.
On the 4th April we celebrated the release of the 500th seal to be rehabilitated at Natureland. We have been involved with this rewarding work since 1965 and the number of seals rescued has steadily increased over the years. This year ( May to April) we have rescued 35 seal pups. The three seals released were Palm, Alder and Chestnut.
A common seal was rescued on 10th April. Named Apple, she was washed ashore at Anderby Creek and was in a very sorry state. Dehydrated, exhausted, multiple small wounds, lungworm, underweight and running a high temperature.

March 2007

Douglas (Fir), rescued in January, was released on the 15th March.
On 1st March we were called out to a grey seal pup at Chapel Point beach. When we got there we found a grey seal pup about 4 months old with very bad breathing problems caused by lungworm. She was taken back to our Seal Hospital and after treatment started to respond well. We named her Palm.
On 7th March we picked another grey seal pup up from Chapel Point, again suffering from lungworm and very exhausted.

February 2007

Whitebeam, the albino seal, was released back into the sea on 27th February along with Holly. He had delighted everyone with his recovery and lots of people from near and far had been to see him during his stay with us. To see him swim out into the sea, in such a healthy state was a great experience.
Also released this month on the 21st was Yew, the grey seal pup rescued in December.
And just to keep us busy! Two more grey seal pups were rescued:- Chestnut and Alder.
Chestnut was stranded on Ingoldmells beach on the 26th and had lungworm and a wound on his right hand side.
Alder came in on the 28th from the beach at Marsh Yard exhausted and with an injury to his mouth.

January 2007

Two grey seal pups were rescued in January, Holly and Douglas (Fir). Holly came in on the 10th from Sutton-on-Sea beach and Douglas from North Shore beach, Skegness on the 23rd January. Both were underweight and had infected wounds around their mouths and flippers.
Whitebeam, the albino seal pup, continues to progress well and has been moved to the rearing pool.

December 2006

On the 11th December a rare albino common seal pup (pictured right) was rescued from the beach at Sutton-on-Sea after being washed ashore and found by a member of the public.The pup, named Whitebeam, was in very poor condition on arrival, suffering from lungworm and wounds to his flippers and muzzle, aswell as being underweight. First he was given a worming injection and then the wounds were cleaned and treated. He was also put on a course of antibiotics. After a shaky few days his condition started to improve and his appetite returned. Once he is fully fit and has reached his target weight he will be released back into the sea.
Albino seals are very rare, before this year the last one treated at Natureland was in 1994.
Acer (one of the seals rescued in November) was released back into the sea on the 12th December.
Yew, the first grey seal pup of the year, was rescued from Chapel St. Leonards beach. About four weeks old, he was underweight and exhausted.
This year, so far, Natureland has rescued 27 orphaned and injured seal pups.
Since 1965, 491 seals have been rescued and rehabilitated by Natureland.

November 2006

Five seals have been released back into the sea this month.
Hazel, Ash, Oak, Larch and Laurel all reached the minimum release weight (60lb+) and were successfully released from Skegness beach.
It has been a busy month for seal rescues. Seven more young common seals, details below:
02/11/06 - Acer, rescued from Chapel St. Leonards beach.
02/11/06 - Birch, rescued from Winthorpe beach.
03/11/06 - Cherry, rescued from Ingoldmells beach.
07/11/06 - Cedar, rescued from Sandylands beach.
09/11/06 - Pine, rescued from Ingoldmells beach.
11/11/06 - Acacia, rescued from Wolla Bank beach.
21/11/06 - Bay, rescued from Ingoldmells beach.

The main reason the above seals needed treatment was for lungworm, a parasitic worm that lives in the lungs and makes it difficult for the seals to hold their breath to dive for food. They were all underweight, exhausted and suffering from cuts/wounds to flippers. As at 31/11/06 they are all progressing well.
Pictured above are Birch and Cedar in the Rearing Pool.

October 2006

On the 9th October we were called out to rescue a seal pup from Anderby Creek. We got there to find a very underweight common seal pup, about 12 weeks old, with a large wound on its back and smaller wounds to its mouth and flippers. We named him Larch (this years theme is trees) and after treatment in the seal hospital he has progressed to the seal hospital pool.
Rowan and Juniper, two seals rescued during the summer, were released back into the sea on 16th October.

September 2006

Conker, the pup that was born at Natureland, has finished feeding on his mums milk and is now in the Rearing Pool with the rescued pups learning to feed on fish.
On the 21st September we rescued another seal pup from the beach at Ingoldmells. He had cuts to his muzzle and flippers and was showing signs of lungworm. After initial treatment, he is doing well.
A Fulmar (looks like a cross between a seagull and an albatross) was rescued from the surf on a local beach. Absolutely exhausted and waterlogged we didn't give it much hope. However, after rest under one of our heatlamps, it perked up and after a few days feeding we passed it on to the RSPCA to finish its rehabilitation.
The Chinese Painted Quail in our Floral Palace (home to the tropical birds and butterflies) have been breeding like mad this summer. The chicks are that small they look like bumble bees with legs!
Rescued seal pups Willow, Bonsai and Spruce were all released into the sea on the 4th September.( See picture above).
Pups Juniper, Ash, Hazel and Rowan have all progressed to the Rearing Pool.
Laurel has been transferred outside to the Seal Hospital Pool.

August 2006

On the 31st August we got a phone call from the coastguard reporting 2 stranded porpoises on the beach to the south of Skegness. When we got there, after a long walk, they turned out to be 20ft long Bottle-nosed Whales weighing about 4 tons each. (See picture below). Unable to refloat these beautiful creatures on our own, we immediately got in touch with other rescue organisations. Unfortunately one of the whales died whilst we were waiting for help despite our efforts to keep it wet and destressed. Eventually members of BDMLR (British Divers Marine Life Rescue) arrived with equipment to refloat the remaining whale at the next high tide at 11.30pm. At about midnight, the whale was towed out to sea. The rescue attempt involved Natureland staff, BDMLR, RSPCA, staff from Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, local coastguards and fireservice. Despite all our best efforts the whale was washed ashore dead the next morning. We await post mortem results to see if they reveal what was wrong.
Franny, one of our resident female seals, gave birth to a stillborn pup on the 29th August. We were all disappointed for her after a long pregnancy.
Titchs pup Conker, (see July), has been suckling from Mum for 4 weeks and now the milk is drying up will have to learn to feed himself on fish before being released into the wild sometime this autumn.
Laurel was rescued from the south beach in Skegness on the 15th August. Approximately 6 weeks old and only weighing 25lbs. he also had lungworm. He is recovering in the Seal Hospital.
Ash, a seal pup rescued on the 8th of August from Huttoft car terrace, also managed to avoid the virus and we were able to treat his infected muzzle, hopefully he will be OK.
Two pups rescued in early August, Hazel and Rowan, both with infected wounds to mouth and body. Both managed to avoid the virus and have joined Juniper (the pup with only one eye) in the Hospital Pool.
Willow and Bonsai continue to do well in the Rearing Poll and have been joined by Spruce, a seal that was rescued from the beach at Ingoldmells. Spruce was approximately 14 months old when rescued and had superficial wounds to his face and body. We were surprised to see he already had a tag in one of his rear flippers. It was not one of ours, and it turns out that he was rescued last year by the RSPCA in Norfolk. After a short spell in the Seal Hospital he was well enough to go outside.
Early August was extremely busy for seal rescues. Twelve pups were rescued in a period of 18 days, often early evening which meant working quite a few 12 hour + days. Normally we are able to save and release about 90% of the seals that come to us for treatment but, this year, a virus has caused a higher mortality rate than normal. We have had 9 pups out of 17 die because of a type of phocine (seal) herpes virus that has come in with one of the rescued pups. Other seal sanctuaries have had the same problem so it must be something going around the wild population this year.

July 2006

Willow and Bonsai (two seal pups rescued in May/June continue to do well and have been moved to the Rearing Pool. Here they learn to feed in the water.
The third premature pup was rescued on 4th July from the marshes at Bennington near Boston. Weighing only 12.6lbs it is the smallest pup that we have ever rescued -normal birthweight is approx. 20 to 25lbs. Called Plum, she is being looked after in the Seal Hospital.
On the 9th July we were called out to a stranded seal pup at Ingoldmells, near Skegness. This pup had a very swollen and infected right eye. We treated it with antibiotics and have hopefully cured the infection but unfortunately there is no sight in the eye. We named her Juniper (pictured right.)
The long awaited opening of our new restaurant took place on July 17th. So now visitors can get a hot meal/snack in very pleasant surroundings overlooking the viewing window on our Sanctuary Bay pool.
Twinny, one of our resident seals, was 40 years old on 19th July. In the wild female common seals live to a maximum of about 30-35 years, so Twinny is probably one of the oldest common seals in the world!! The TV and local press attended Twinnys "birthday party", local schools sang Happy Birthday and Twinny was presented with a special "fishy" birthday cake.
On 22nd July, Victoria, another of our resident seals who was pregnant for the first time gave birth to a stillborn pup. Everyone was very sad.
Better news on the 25th July as Titch (another resident) successfully gave birth to a pup which has been named Conker (this years theme is trees, in case you had not guessed). (Pic right).
Also on 25th July another seal pup was rescued from Ingoldmells beach. She was orphaned, underweight and had a swollen and infected muzzle. Hopefully the antibiotics will cure the infection and she will soon be on the road to recovery.

June 2006

On the 5th June we got a phone call from RAF Wainfleet to say they had found a seal pup out on the marshes (used as a bombing range). They brought the pup back to the control tower where we picked it up. It was another premature common seal pup covered in white fur. This one only weighed 16lbs (the normal birthweight is about 20 - 25lbs).Obviously underweight but also dehydrated and orphaned. Back at the Seal Hospital he had a few doses of rehydration fluid but did not look too good for a couple of days. After a few more days he started to improve and is now looking well. Called Bonsai because of his size.(Pictured right).
Ferrero, a seal rescued in March, was released back into the wild on the 20th June.
Willow, the pup rescued in May, continues to do well.
The guillemot rescued in May was released on 5th June.

May 2006

On the 1st May a member of the public brought us an injured Sparrowhawk which had probably flown into a window or been knocked by a car. After a bit of bed and breakfast for a few days we were able to release it fighting fit.
We were taken by surprise on 29th May when we were called out to a stranded seal on the beach to the south of Skegness. We expected one of last years pups but found a small premature common seal pup approximately two days old. There was no sign of the mother seal so he was brought back to our Seal Hospital. Common seals are not usually born until the end of June/begining of July and if born prematurely they have a white fluffy coat called the lanugo which is usually moulted in the mothers womb. He was named Willow (this years theme is trees)!! Apart from an infected umbilical cord, which was cured with antibiotics, he is progressing well.(Pictured right).
A guillemot (British seabird, looks a bit like a penguin) was found on the beach exhausted and underweight on 30th May.
Three orphaned ducklings were brought in by a local boatman on 31st May. They will be reared and released when they are able to fend for themselves.

April 2006

On the 12th April we received a phone call from sea defence workers at Chapel St. Leonards telling us that a porpoise was stranded in a tidal pool on the beach and, as the tide was going out, the pool was getting so shallow that the porpoise was grounding itself. We got there as quick as we could and used our special stretcher to carry the porpoise back to the sea. Using chest waders we carried it out as deep as we dare before letting it go. Fortunately it headed straight back out into deeper water.
Wispa, the grey seal, (see pic below),was released back into the sea from Skegness beach on 11th April 2006.

March 2006

An eight month old common seal was rescued from Huttoft beach on 4th March. Christened Ferrero, in keeping with this years chocolate theme, he was suffering from lungworm but after his treatment he is progressing well.
On the 8th March a grey seal pup (approx. 14 weeks old) was washed ashore at Chapel St. Leonards. She was very underweight, had cuts on her body and flippers and breathing problems. We called this one Wispa. After a short stay in the Seal Hospital she made rapid progress and was transferred to the rearing pool.

February 2006

On the 13th February we released two seals back into the wild.
Munchie, who was rescued in January, had made a quick recovery and was raring to go!
Chomp, rescued on the 11th December had taken longer as he was very thin when he came in to us.
During the half term school holidays we held our "Meet the animals" sessions every day. Children (and adults too) had the opportunity to hold some of our animals including rabbits, guineau pigs, mice and even the royal pythons if they were brave enough.

January 2006

To help us with our fundraising you can download a photo of one of the seals, penguins or any other animal at Natureland onto your mobile phone or computer for just £1.50. Visit www.art4charity.org.uk by following the link at the bottom of the menu on the left hand side of this page, then find us in the list of charities and follow the instructions.
Just one seal rescued this month. Munchie, a grey seal, washed ashore at Anderby Creek. He was very lethargic although not a bad weight at 52lb, but also had a high temperature and suffering from lungworm. After a short spell in the Seal Hospital he is now in the rearing pool and will probably be released in February.
Two seals were released on 17th January. Topic and Minstrel (rescued Oct/Nov) had reached their release weight and as we had a period of calm weather it was time to say goodbye. The release was covered by Radio Lincolnshire, Lincs FM and the local press.

December 2005

We would like to wish all our supporters a Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.
December has seen the start of the building of our new catering outlet. This is a major investment for us, as there is massive costs involved in building and fitting out something like this. However it will be a great improvement on our existing catering as people will be able to sit inside and get a hot meal!! We hope to open it in May 2006.
One of our penguins (Pepsi) has laid two eggs. We do not think they will be fertile as she does not have a regular partner. However we have put them in the incubator just in case she has been seeing someone in secret!!
Five rescued seals have been released this month:- Freddo and Rocky (06.12.05), Galaxy and M+M (08.12.05) and Smartie (15.12.05).
Three more seals have been rescued this month:
On the 11th December a very thin and exhausted grey seal pup was washed ashore at Lagoon Walk in Skegness. At about 3 weeks old he only weighed 36.5lbs (just above birthweight) and was christened Chomp. As at 24.12.05 he now weighs 40lb and is in the hospital pool.
Six days later we were called out to a seal on the beach at Winthorpe which turned out to be a common seal suffering from lungworm (see October) and also cuts to its mouth and flippers. This one is called Aero and as at 24.12.05 is still inside the hospital but progressing ok.
Then on the 21.12.05 we rescued another common seal, about 5 months old, from Ingoldmells beach. Suffering from lungworm and cuts again, Snicker is still in the hospital under a heatlamp. (see pic above)
A leopard gecko has hatched out and is being cared for in the Tropical House.

November 2005

Rescued seals this month:
03.11.05 Freddo, a common seal pup, rescued from the beach at Winthorpe near Skegness. About 4 months old he was suffering from lungworm, very exhausted and underweight. After a short spell in the Seal Hospital he is now out in the Rearing Pool to put weight back on before being released.
10.11.05 Topic (pictured right), another 4 month old common seal was rescued from the beach at North Shore in Skegness. Again, the problem was lungworm. He is still in the hospital pool at the moment.
Three seals have been released this month.
On the 01.11.05 Dream and Ripple, and on the 09.11.05 Picnic.

October 2005

Four more seals rescued this month:
14.10.05 Rocky from Ingoldmells beach. Age approx. 12 weeks, he was exhausted, underweight and suffering from a parasitic infestation of lungworm.
18.10.05 Picnic (a grey seal) 11 months old from Winthorpe beach. Lungworm again but also lots of small cuts on her body and flippers.
28.10.05 Minstrel from the beach at Chapel Point. Also lungworm and cuts to flippers.
29.10.05 Smartie, another grey seal, about 11 months old. Underweight, eye infection, cuts to flippers and muzzle and once again our old friend lungworm.
Lungworm, as its name suggests, is a parasitic worm that infests the breathing tubes of the seal. This makes it more difficult for the seal to breathe and nearly impossible for them to hold their breath whilst diving under water to catch fish. So the seal cannot feed, it gets weaker and eventually gets washed up onto the beach. This is the reason most of the seals we rescue that have lungworm are also underweight and exhausted. Fortunately lungworm is easy to get rid of. One small injection and, over the course of the next few days, the worms are coughed up. The seal then feels much better, starts to feed again and as soon as it is up to the target weight is released back into the sea.
Six seals have been released this month:
On 12.10.05 we released Twirl, Drifter, Echo and Buttons. Buttons was not a rescued pup but was born at Natueland on 01.08.05 to one of our resident seals called Franny.
On 20.10.05 we released Fudge and Kit-Kat.

September 2005

Three common seal pups rescued this month:
13.09.05 M+M from Chapel Point, had a large wound to the top of his head as well as a swollen, infected muzzle.
16.09.05 Galaxy from Chapel St. Leonards beach, underweight and cuts to flippers and muzzle.
23.09.05 Pup rescued from beach near Butlins, unfortunately did not survive.
On 16.09.05 we had a call out to a seal at Huttoft car terrace, which turned out to be a hooded seal pup.Normally found much further north, it looked OK but was very lethargic. We brought it back to the seal hospital but unfortunately it died overnight. A post mortem revealed that it had "eaten" 4kg of sand which had crushed the blood vessels to the heart.
Four seals that have been rescued this summer (plus Yorkie that was born at Natureland) have now been released. On 20th September we took them down to the sea and said goodbye! (Pic right shows Yorkie at the edge of the sea).
Two seabirds have also received attention in the hospital. A fulmar and a juvenile gannet were both found on a local beach in need of attention. The gannet was released after a few days bed and breakfast and hopefully the fulmar will be ready to go soon.

August 2005

Seven of the rescued pups have now progressed to the outside Rearing Pool where we will be teaching them to feed on fish in the water and waiting till they reach their release weight before putting them back in the sea.
Five more common seal pups have been rescued this month:
01.08.05 Revel from beach at Anderby Creek
13.08.05 Echo from beach at Chapel Point
14.08.05 Dream from beach at North Shore, Skegness
16.08.05 Ripple from beach at Anderby Creek
27.08.05 Kit Kat from beach at Skegness (pictured right)
All were orphans but also they all had infected wounds around their head and muzzle, probably caused by bites from another seal or dog.
Yorkie, the pup born at Natureland to Titch, has been moved to the Rearing Pool after feeding from Titch for three and a half weeks. His weight has increased from about 22lb at birth to a massive 75lb!! He now has to learn to feed on fish.
Franny, one of our resident seals, gave birth to her pup (Buttons) on Monday 1st August, both mum and pup doing well!!

July 2005

Three grey seals, (Michelle, Angelina and Leonardo), that have been receiving treatment were released back into the sea on 27th July. The release was covered by BBC Look North and ITV Calendar as well as radio and press!!
Franny, one of our resident female seals, is due to give birth any day now!! So watch this space.
28th July. Another seal pup rescued from Skegness beach. This one was orphaned, underweight, exhausted and had small wounds on its face. Named Drifter.
On 22nd July we were called out early in the morning to an orphaned pup on the beach to the south of Skegness. He also had a badly infected mouth and gums. After a 5 day course of antibiotics the swelling in his muzzle has gone down and should be ok.Called Fudge.
Another pup was rescued from Gibraltar Point on 17th July. Approximately 5 days old and suffering lots of small wounds to the head (could be seal or dog bites). Christened Bounty, she is now looking a lot better after a course of antibiotics.
On the 3rd July we were called out to a local beach at Chapel St. Leonards where an orphaned seal pup had been reported stranded. Another female pup, this one was also underweight (18lbs) and dehydrated. She has been called Twirl. (See pic. right of Twirl with George who looks after the rescued seals).
Just as we were finishing work on the 5th July the phone rang to report another seal pup washed up at Chapel Six Marshes, 8 miles north of Skegness. Workers on the beach nourishment scheme had found it huddled up against their pipeline. This male pup has been christened Mars.
On the 8th July one of our resident female seals gave birth to a male seal pup in the main seal pool here at Natureland. We were a bit concerned to start with because we did not see it feed for the first two days but on the third day he was suckling from his Mum and has not looked back since. We decided to call him Yorkie!! (see pic. right of Yorkie and Titch.)

June 2005

The rescued ducklings have been moved on to the next stage in their rehabilitation at a local mans home (thanks Mr. Tatley).
Leonardo (the seal rescued in May) has progressed to the rearing pool and is feeding well.
The leopard geckos have laid two more eggs.
GMTV and Richard Arnold (pictured right with Natureland staff) filmed at Natureland for a programme to go out on 21st of June.
One of the bantam eggs that we have been incubating has hatched. Hopefully more on the way.
The first common seal pup of 2005 was rescued on the 18th June from Gibraltar Point near Skegness. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts , it only survived for three days.
On the 27th June we were called out at 8.00pm to another orphaned seal pup beached at Gibraltar Point. Weighing 20lbs and approximately 5 days old she was already underweight and dehydrated. She also had an infected wound on top of her head. So far she is progressing well and responding to treatment. This years theme for the names of the rescued seal pups is "chocolate bars" and this one has been christened Twix!!

May 2005

Only one seal rescue this month. A grey seal (Leonardo) rescued from the beach at Chapel St. Leonards on 20th May. Approximately 6 months old on arrival he was exhausted and very underweight for his age, also his right eye was injured. Currently in the Seal Hospital.
Other rescues this month have mainly been ducklings and a gosling. Some of the ducklings were rescued after their mother was run over by a car.
Snowy and Tanzie, our oldest goats have been retired to a lovely new home in the country and have been replaced with two Wiltshire lambs.(No names yet!!)
The Leopard geckos (lizards) have laid two eggs. They have been put in the incubator.
The Nile crocodiles have laid two eggs aswell!!

April 2005

Two common seals, Pierce and Bruce, were released back into the sea on the 23rd April.
A new way of raising funds for our seal rescue work is launched. You can download pictures of ourseals (and other animals) to your mobile phone or computer, or order a quality print by visiting the website www.art4charity.org.uk .Find us in the list of charities and view our pictures, then follow the instructions to choose your picture. We hope that you will be able to support us and also tell your friends!!
We were invited to produce a stand exhibiting different kinds of fish for the "Go Fishing" exhibition at the Birmingham NEC. It was extremely popular, especially the "Finding Nemo" tank and the weird and wonderful axolotls!

March 2005

Jack, the grey seal rescued on 23rd February, was released on 22nd March. He is the 449th seal that we have saved since we started doing this work.
Angelina and Michelle (see last month) are both progressing well and have been transferred to the Rearing Pool.
The shag (cormorant like bird) has been released and the guillemots were passed on to the RSPCA for further rehabilitation.
Our Pets Corner is the new home for a trio of Sussex bantams.
On the 16th March we got a phone call reporting a seal "in difficulties" on the beach at Winthorpe, near Skegness. When we got there it turned out to be a harbour porpoise that kept trying to beach itself. When we got back to Natureland it was given a temporary home with our resident seals. As there seemed to be nothing physically wrong with the porpoise we contacted our local lifeboat and later in the day it was released into deep water from the inshore lifeboat.

February 2005

Michelle (rescued grey seal from January) continues to make good progress and is transferred to the outside hospital pool.
On the 18th February we rescued a grey seal pup (Angelina) from the beach at Ingoldmells. She was about 7 weeks old and had breathing problems that were probably preventing her holding her breath long enough to dive under water to catch fish. Therefore she was skinny and underweight.
Another grey seal pup (Jack) was washed ashore at Chapel St. Leonards on 23rd February. This one was definitely not underweight at 59lbs but he was running a temperature, had lots of small wounds and was very lethargic/exhausted. He had probably been battered about in the rough weather that we have had recently. Hopefully he will soon be better and ready to go back to the sea.
The recent bad weather and rough seas have also brought us some seabirds in need of attention. Mainly Guillemots and one Shag (similar to a Cormorant see pic right) have come in exhausted and thin.
Seals Eddie and Denzel were both released back into the sea on 25th February helped by Pat Wright, one of the people that found Denzel on the beach.(pic. top right)

January 2005

A Grey Seal pup (Eddie) was washed ashore and rescued from Ingoldmells beach, near Skegness on the 4th January. He was about 4 weeks old and weighed in at 40lbs (about 18kg in new money). He had laboured breathing, a runny nose, a missing tooth, swollen mouth and a cut above his left eye. He is probably the loudest seal we have ever rescued and has not shut up since the day we took him in! With lots of intensive treatment Eddie was soon on the road to recovery.
On the 10th January we were called out to another grey seal pup at Anderby Creek. This one was a female (we have called her Michelle) about 3 weeks old and weighing 38lbs. Unfortunately she had really bad wounds all around her head. We took her to our vets and he did a marvellous job of stitching her up and she was returned to the Seal Hospital to rest. It was obvious that she was in a lot of pain and even though we had her on painkillers she just lay still under her heat lamp for ages at a time only getting a bit more active when we came to feed her. Over the next couple of weeks there were a couple of times that we thought she wouldn't make it but fortunately we were wrong. All of a sudden she started to improve and we are now hopeful she will make a full recovery.
The ducklings that were rescued in December have been passed on to a local man who can finish off the rearing process before releasing them. The shag was successfully released back to sea.
Other releases this month were seals Johnny and Jim.

December 2004

After a very busy month for seal rescues in November it all went very quiet.....until Boxing Day.We had just finished feeding the animals (we are closed to the public on Christmas Day and Boxing Day) and had returned home for dinner, when we got a phone call from the local police reporting a seal pup washed up on Winthorpe beach. On arrival we found a very small, exhausted grey seal pup. He (Denzel) was taken back to our seal hospital and given initial treatment. At approx. 3 weeks old he only weighed 25lbs/11.5kg and had severe breathing problems. Normal birthweight for grey seals is about 30lbs/14kg. After a very shaky start he is now starting to make some progress.(See pic right)
Another Grey Seal (Julia) was rescued on New Years Eve, washed ashore at Gibraltar Point, she has infected wounds to her flippers and neck and a runny nose!
3 seals released this month:- Winona, Hugh and Tom.
Sadly, Clint, one of the seals rescued in November died from pneumonia.
2 very late ducklings and a shag (similar to a cormorant) also rescued this month.

November 2004

A very busy month for rescuing seals. It is now peak pupping season for the Grey Seals at Donna Nook, to the North of Skegness, and we are starting to get the orphans, waifs and strays from there. 7 pups rescued this month, 4 common seals and 3 greys. Problems range from small wounds to infected umbilical cords and breathing problems. Names of seals rescued:- (Theme- film stars) Hugh, Pierce, Johnny, Tom, Bruce, Jim and Clint. All males!
Making room for our new arrivals Cameron, Keanu, Mel, Nicole and Gwyneth had all made a good recovery and were released back into the sea.
Sammy our seal mascot (Richard in disguise) took part in the Children in Need race in Lincoln High Street, I don't think you will be seeing him at the next Olympics!

October 2004

Rescued seals Demi, Renee and Halle all released successfully back to the sea.
Another three seals rescued (Nicole, Gwyneth and Winona) all with lungworm. Fortunately the lungworm is fairly easy to get rid of. Just one injection and over the next few days the worms are either coughed up or passed through the other end in the seals droppings.