Hundreds of enthusiastic seaside visitors on the Renesse beach watched with interest as the Zeeland seals, Dini and Skipper, returned back to sea. They and Lenie ‘t Hart marked the beginning of the Seal Watch Beach Party at the beach pavilion “Zuid-Zuid-West”. Both seals had been found sick and in need of help some months ago in Zeeland. After a rehabilitation period at SRRC Lenie ‘t Hart they had recovered sufficiently to be released back to their natural habitat.
Under the interested eyes of hundreds of people, Dini and Skipper made their way out to sea without a moment’s hesitation. For a moment they roamed the coast watching the children running along with them over the beach, but then they swam out to the sandbank in front of beach pavilion “Zuid-Zuid-West” where other seals were lying.
The remaining afternoon was filled with festivities such as a beach-volleyball tournament and a barbeque, of which part of the proceeds went to the SRRC. Besides that, artist Berrie Martens created the painting “Happy Seal” on the spot and the seal first-aid team from Zeeland held a presentation about their work. And as a special highlight, Lenie put the first Dutch long-focus lens seal webcam into action.
The purpose of the Seal Watch Beach Party was to draw special attention to Zeeland’s seal population and to generate funds for Zeeland’s seal first-aid team. The SRRC set up the seal first-aid network around 1980 and the Zeeland team has been doing fantastic work for seals and other animals from the beginning. There are around 180 grey seals and 180 common seals living on the sandbanks along Zeeland’s coast. The seal first-aiders in Zeeland are available day and night and ready to come into action if a report comes in about a dead or living sea mammal along their almost 2000 kilometres long coastline. Their SRRC-van is in desperate need of replacement. We hope that this campaign will make that possible.
07-15-2009 Source: SRRC Lenie 't Hart
