Seals are being taken to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary at Gweek suffering broken jaws and other injuries after being battered by waves.

The sanctuary says it has been “inundated” with pup call outs since the season began back in September.

Tamara Cooper, head of animal care, said: “While the actual number of seal pups we are looking after is on par with other years, the seals that are coming to site are in a lot worse condition, because of the battering waves and high tides.

“We’ve had a lot of broken jaws that we haven’t seen in previous years, so a lot more care is needed and a longer rehabilitation time.”

She added that the ongoing storms and weather warnings were having a “huge knock on effect” on where the pups could be released.

“Our aim is to rehabilitate all pups and get them back to their natural habitats as soon as we can. So far this year, we’ve only released seven pups, and it’s all down to the weather.”

More pups in the sanctuary at one time means more mouths to feed, and since the beginning of the pup season fish costs have accumulated to just under £30,000.

““And while the seal pups are being cared for well and are extremely happy in our pools, we can’t wait for a break in the weather so we can start releasing them back to their homes,” said Tamara.

Falmouth Packet: