Western Isles British Divers Marine Life Rescue : BDMLR

The seal hospital in Thurso is now fully operational and now has three seals
been looked after there. Jamie has managed to find time to set up a blog website in
order to keep everyone up to date with what is going on.
www.highlandsealhospital.blogspot.com

At 9 am Saturday morning we were called out to a stranded Minke whale at Barvas. It had severe bruising and died shortly after the call was made to our Regional Coordinator, and in the short time it took for us to arrive on the scene with the rescue kit and pontoons. It was a juvenile/young adult female, about 16 foot long and probably not long weaned. This is an age when they commonly get in to trouble and sadly she would have struggled on the beach all night before being found. The extent of the bruising shows just how hard a fight she put up to return to the sea - normally the underside would be white.

Grey Pup Rescued in November Released Back to Wild

I have received the fantastic news that the pup we rescued on Europie beach has been returned to the wild after a very sucessful rehab stay at Middlebank. Thank you to everyone who looked after the little one, and well done. I understand he was released along with another young male pup that was rescued in Point by the SSPCA in October.

Seal Pup Rescued from Europie Beach

On the morning of Saturday, 17th, one of our medics, Julie, came across an extremely underweight and sickly Grey seal pup being harrassed by a group of young quad bikers. The 95% moulted pup had hauled out high above the water line and was showing signs of widespread infection. His body was covered in bites and abcesses and he had a thick discharge coming from his eyes and nose.

Julie managed to physically protect the pup from the quad bikers while she waited for help to arrive. We lifted the pup off the beach too late for Saturday’s last ferry at lunchtime but thanks to the invaluable training I received as a volunteer at the Highland Seal Hospital and the National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek I was able to look after the pup over the weekend until the next ferry left the island on Monday morning.

After being checked over by Jamie Dyer, manager of the Highland Seal Hospital, the pup was taken through to New Deer in Aberdeenshire.

It has been a very busy Grey pup season and most of the rehab centres are now full.

Thank goodness for Julie’s quick thinking when she found the pup and for her making a stand against the idiots on the quad bikes.

Fingers crossed this pup makes it.

On tuesday two Atlantic Striped Dolphions stranded at Traigh More, Tolsta, Isle of Lewis. (Male & female) A passer-by reported them, one was already dead. The vet and SSPCA officer tried unsuccessfully to refloat the other. Euthanasia was considered the kindest option.

Sandy commented "It was really sad seeing them. They were so tiny and perfect. I've never seen that species before and was really surprised at just how small they are and how pretty too".

Suzanne 3rd October 2007

Picture of a whale

On Monday a 30-40ft Northern Bottlenose Whale stranded at the old pier in Breasclete in East Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis. It managed to refloat itself, but sadly beached again the next day at the head of the loch where it died.

Suzanne, 29th September

Grey Seal

Can everyone please keep a look out for a grey seal, believed to be one of last years pups at 3-4 foot long that has a rope or piece of netting around it's neck. The rope is badly cutting in to it's neck and is seriously in need of treatment. It was spotted on the east side of Goat Island today, July 14th, but moved off eastwards before we could get to it. It is distressed and weak and really could be pretty much anywhere by now. It may be in the harbour area or have moved up or down the coast. It was in the company of another young seal that seemed to be trying to encourage it back in to the water and seemed agitated on it's behalf.

Sandy, July 2007.

Stranded Dolphins : Sandwick Bay

Had a report of two dolphins, later described as White Beaked Dolphins, which were apparently succesfully refloated after stranding on Sandwick Beach earlier this evening. Well done, and thank you, to the Coastguards for attending so promptly and carrying out the rescue.

Sandy, 29 June 2007

Stranded Dolphins : Sandwick Bay

Five Atlantic White Sided Dolphins became stranded on Sandwick Beach this morning. Three were herded back out to sea by the Coastguards and vet. Unfortunately two were in such poor health that euthanasia was considered the best option, and this was carried out humanely by the vet.

Youtube video link:
The Male Atlantic White Sided dolphin June 11th being assessed by vet and kept comfortable by a Coastguard.

Sandy, 11 June, 2007

killing of dolphins in Japan

Video shown in the link below is particularly disturbing and is not for the faint hearted, but there is somthing you can do about it. Go and sign the petition perhaps you could forward a link it to your friends and family also.

Here is the graphic video of the killing of dolphins in Japan:
http://www.glumbert.com/media/dolphin

And here is the petition where you can help stop this gross inhumanity:
http://www.petitiononline.com/golfinho

Sandy, 1st March, 2007

Ullapool Seal Hospital

News just in from Sandy to say that the Ullapool Seal Hospital has now been granted planning permission. Thanks to everyone who sent in letters of support.

They will be setting up as soon as possible and as quickly as possible so if any medics would like to volunteer to help please get in touch with Sandy. She will pass on more details as and when they come in.

Slideshow of Common Seal Pups being treated at the hospital.

24th January, 2007

On New Year's Day Sandy and Jeanette attended a call out to a grey seal pup on Port Stoth beach in Ness. On arriving they found a large, docile pup with several large wounds, one of which was badly infected and very swollen and it was favouring its left foreflipper - either as a result of being battered against the rocks in the rough sea or an orca attack. They made the decision to take it in for treatment but unfortunately the pup decided otherwise and was last seen swimming out to sea, where hopefully the salt water will clean up the wounds. The following day Sandy and Jeanette returned to the area but found no sign of the pup, some surfers on Port Ness beach saw a young seal that made it's way north along the coast when they entered the water. Medic Julie, who has been patrolling the coast in the north west Lewis area for sometime now, has been checking for signs of this pup, and any others.

Sandy 5th January, 2006

News...