Seal hospital says sad farewell to injured Hattie
ASEAL that was rescued at the end of last month after becoming trapped in between boulders off Cornwall’s coast has been put to sleep.
On April, 28, medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) rescued the juvenile seal named Hattie, who was wedged between the boulders and unable to move near Sennen, in Cornwall.
After being rescued, the seal was taken to BDMLR’s Cornwall Seal Pup Hospital for assessment and care for the wounds from a bit of fishing net that had been wrapped around her neck for about three years.
Hattie – who was later identified to be no older than four and a half years – was discovered to be severely malnourished and less than half the size she would normally be. She remained at the hospital for just under two weeks.
However, despite being kept under the watchful eye of rescuers, the heartbreaking decision was made to put Hattie to sleep as her condition had rapidly deteriorated.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the hospital’s Lizzi Larbalestier wrote: “I’m afraid we have to give you all some very sad news about Hattie. Yesterday we became very concerned about Hattie, as her condition had rapidly deteriorated. She was showing signs of a more complex, underlying illness going on and some blood tests revealed that she was likely to be suffering from some major organ dysfunction.
“Hattie’s quality of life was declining, and her chances of recovery from such a major illness and eventual release back into the wild were extremely slim. With all this in mind, we decided to let her pass away peacefully and with dignity last
‘With all this in mind, we decided to let her pass away peacefully and with dignity last night’ LIZZI LARBALESTIER
night, as our vet came out to put her to sleep. As you can imagine, this was a heartbreaking decision for our team who have worked so hard over the past nine days to give her the very best care. But, as with all our important decisions, our patients’ welfare and best interests must always be the top priority.
“We are comforted at least by the fact that her final days were in an environment where she was safe and well cared for. She was a very special seal, and one which I’m sure we will all remember.
“A post-mortem will be carried out and we hope that will give us some more information about the illness Hattie was suffering from and whether it was perhaps a result of her longterm entanglement.
“A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved with Hattie’s rescue and care, as well as to everyone who has been following her progress. We really appreciate your ongoing support of our work, particularly at very difficult times like this.
“In the world of wildlife rehabilitation, we unfortunately can’t save every animal we are presented with, but we will always endeavour to do the right thing for each of them.’’
Lizzi added that Hattie was “a seal whose short life was so badly affected by humans that I am compelled to reflect upon and share her story in the hope we can all learn something from her.
“The fishing net she got caught in at a young age, likely around two years old, she carried around her neck for three years as it slowly cut into her flesh, reducing her ability to feed and resulting in a body that was badly stunted.
“Exhausted, she was brought into our care, [and] the extent of not only her neck injury but also her poor body condition became evident. Her spine and hips clearly visible, she was a seal who had been slowly starving,” Lizzi added.
“With hope in our hearts, we did all we could, but we knew she had a long uphill journey to health ahead and there was a good chance she would not make it.
“We made the decision that it was time to let Hattie go. After a tragic life, she did not drown alone in pain on a rock, she died peacefully, surrounded by love.”