Supporting Seals in Need

The Aquarium-Muséum supports the rescue program of the Centre de Soins de la Faune Sauvage LPA in Calais.

The Calais care center takes in and cares for injured and sick wild animals, including seals. Once they have recovered, they are reintroduced into their natural environment. Two species of seal frequent the coasts of our region, and these animals face a number of threats:

• Mother-pup separation: depriving young seals of the fat-rich mother's milk they need to grow.
• Human disturbance: forcing them to leave beaches or colonies, which generates considerable stress and disrupts their resting and learning to hunt.
• Parasitism and infections: often affecting seals already weakened by other factors.

Seals admitted to the Centre de Soins de la Faune Sauvage of the Ligue de Protection des Animaux (LPA) du Calaisis are often emaciated and in a weakened state. Their fat layer, essential for thermal insulation and survival, is insufficient.
For their survival, it's vital to help them rebuild their energy reserves, by offering them a rich source of food in an environment requiring very little energy expenditure.

How are they cared for?

The seals are placed in basins with beaches equipped with infrared lamps. These lamps enable them to replenish their fat reserves without expending energy to keep warm. Around 100 lamps a year are needed to treat the 80 or so seals taken in each year.

After a stay in the care center, which varies from a few weeks to several months, the recovered seals are released back into their natural habitat with a nice layer of blubber and ready to face the challenges of life in the wild.

Our team is proud to support this initiative, because protecting these species also means preserving the balance of our marine ecosystems.
Would you like to support us in this initiative? Nothing could be simpler! An urn is available at the Aquarium to collect your donations.