Feature Stories - Seal Hospital (100) More files...
Globally, the grey seal is one of the rarest seal species, with almost 50% of the world population living in British & Irish waters.

Each year, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, a voluntary organisation based in Cornwall, England, fields hundreds of reports of seal pups in distress. With the help of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and the Cornish Seal Group, many of these pups are rescued and nursed back to health. On a few red letter days each year, those pups that have fully recovered are released back into the wild, shuffling down the beach to re-enter the waves once more.

Photographer Nick Upton has documented this heart-warming tale from rescue to release, as well as efforts to monitor wild seals on the rugged Cornish coastline.

Download our full story PDF, including text, here.

Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Kerplunk' recovering from an operation to remove a damaged, rotting rear flipper at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
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Nick Upton / Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Kerplunk' recovering from an operation to remove a damaged, rotting rear flipper at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
Dan Jarvis offering a Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Kerplunk' a fish as it recovers from an operation to remove a damaged, rotting rear flipper, Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall,...
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Nick Upton / Dan Jarvis offering a Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Kerplunk' a fish as it recovers from an operation to remove a damaged, rotting rear flipper, Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall,...
Carer feeding recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Uno' a fish in a small swimming pool, Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital,, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
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Nick Upton / Carer feeding recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Uno' a fish in a small swimming pool, Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital,, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
Dan Jarvis hand-feeding fish to a recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Uno' in a small swimming pool in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October. Model released.
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Nick Upton / Dan Jarvis hand-feeding fish to a recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Uno' in a small swimming pool in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October. Model released.
Recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Uno' in a small swimming pool in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
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Nick Upton / Recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Uno' in a small swimming pool in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
Partially blind Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'One-eyed Jack' learning to find fish for itself in a bowl of seawater in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
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Nick Upton / Partially blind Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'One-eyed Jack' learning to find fish for itself in a bowl of seawater in the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October.
Dan Jarvis feeds a recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Boggle', now with its white baby coat shed, in a cubicle at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October. Model r...
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Nick Upton / Dan Jarvis feeds a recovering Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'Boggle', now with its white baby coat shed, in a cubicle at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October. Model r...
Stacey Pryor cutting up line-caught Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) about to be fed to rescued Grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus), Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January.  Model released.
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Nick Upton / Stacey Pryor cutting up line-caught Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) about to be fed to rescued Grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus), Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.
Stacey Pryor weighing line-caught Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) about to feed rescued Grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus), Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.
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Nick Upton / Stacey Pryor weighing line-caught Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) about to feed rescued Grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus), Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.
Keeper placing pills into line-caught Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) about to be fed to Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.
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Nick Upton / Keeper placing pills into line-caught Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) about to be fed to Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.
Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'One-eyed Jack' wrapped in a towel whilst being hand-fed a fish in a cubicle at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October. Model released.
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Nick Upton / Grey seal pup (Halichoerus grypus) 'One-eyed Jack' wrapped in a towel whilst being hand-fed a fish in a cubicle at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary hospital, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, October. Model released.
Keeper Jenny Lewis feeding Common / Harbour seal pup (Phoca vitulina) 'Buddy', a long-term resident at Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.
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Nick Upton / Keeper Jenny Lewis feeding Common / Harbour seal pup (Phoca vitulina) 'Buddy', a long-term resident at Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January. Model released.