Dogs Are Visiting A Seal Sanctuary To Cheer Them Up During Lockdown

A group of dogs have been visiting a seal sanctuary to keep them company during lockdown.

Staff at The Cornish Seal Sanctuary, near Cornwall, say they usually welcome over 100,000 people a year to their centre.

However, with the onset of lockdown, they have been forced to close, meaning the animals they care for have become increasingly isolated and lonely.

So in a bid to keep them engaged, staff at the centre have been bringing their dogs to work with them, and it seems to have done the trick.

Sharing some candid (and very cute) snaps from the visit, a spokesperson from the sanctuary said the seals had definitely perked up.

They wrote: "With the Sanctuary having no guests walking around, our animals have definitely noticed the difference.

Cornish Seal Sanctuary

"The team have been working around the clock to provide lots of extra enrichment and fun for the animals to keep them healthy, happy and entertained

"With ideas running out, our team decided to bring their dogs in to say hello to the seals and to remind them of what it is like when the Sanctuary is open.

"The animals were very intrigued to see dogs again on site and enjoyed interacting with them."

But it's not just the visit from some friendly canine faces that have helped the lonely seals, staff at the centre have also been using music.

The spokesperson added: "The team have also been playing music over the speaker system to help to keep the residents calm and happy.

Cornish Seal Sanctuary

"This follows research conducted at the Sanctuary by student Mati Skerrit, in 2017. She found that playing classical music to our California sea lions decreased anxious behaviours and increased time spent playing and swimming."

However, despite all of this, the sanctuary is still struggling to make ends meet, and with lockdown still not completely over, bosses are looking for ways to cover their overheads.

Staff have now set up a fundraising page to help them pay the £23,000 it costs every month to keep the charity going.

The centre said: "With the Sanctuary still being closed, and with no certain opening date, we are struggling without the vital revenue from our guests.

"We are now entering our third month without guests, and need your support more than ever."

If you wish to donate to the sanctuary, you can do so by visiting its Just Giving page..

Topics: UK News, Interesting, Coronavirus

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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