Getting the Royal Seal of Approval!

Seal training at East Winch is all part of the training programme for new staff, as although they appear cute in the pictures they are actually quiet dangerous and can do serious damage.  We started with a tour, we met some of the seals; Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and a familiar face from Stapeley, and now a lot bigger, Prince William (can you tell what the theme is at the moment!).

 

We spent a lot of time observing to start with but soon enough, it was then our turn!  We started with the smallest, you would think that would be easy but nooo... they are still very strong and wriggly.  In some cases the larger seals were easier to restrain, I think being trained in contortion would have been an advantage!

 

Another part of our training was using a stretcher to catch and weigh seals to monitor their progress.   We finished the day with some more tube feeding, as they say ‘practice makes perfect’

Our time with the East Winch seals had come to an end.  Although we left with aching arms and legs, it has been great, a very informative experience.   Although we do not get too many seals at Stapeley, all staff need to know how to handle seals properly.  We still have lots to learn but this experience has been a fantastic introduction.

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