Lenie ‘t Hart started the rehabilitation of her first seal in 1971, in a small basin in her back garden. Years before, the Wentzel family from Uithuizen had started rescueing motherless seal pups. When mrs. Wentzel died, René Wentzel and Jan van Haaften asked Lenie to continue mrs. Wentzel’s work. The SRRC is situated in Pieterburen, because this was where Lenie lived. From stories of the past it became clear that people had been finding baby seals along the coast for generations. The babies were often taken home by farmers and fishermen, who let them loose in ditches and moats. Invariably they died. It seems now that this was because they were fed the wrong food. Over the years, the SRRC in Pieterburen has done a lot of medical and scientific research. Especially when it became clear that there were various things wrong with the seals. Initially, it was possible to save the baby seals with some good fish and vitamins. Soon, however, complications arose and infectious illnesses started playing a bigger role. The consequences of pollution started to become visible…
The Wentzel family
The Wentzel family started caring for seals when a farmer’s lad brought a baby seal, which he had found in the polder, along to school. His classmate Quirien Wentzel said that her father would be able to look after it, because he also cared for birds and other animals in distress. Quirien carried the babe home in her arms. This is how the town clerk, René Wentzel, and his wife started a relief centre for seals in Uithuizen, a village in Groningen. The Wentzel family was continually looking for information on how to care for the animals. Seals did not react well to cows milk or dairy products. After deliberating with several organisations abroad Wentzel started feeding the seals a kind of fishmeal consisting of an extract of oatmeal and ground up fish. This turned out to be such a successful recipe that the SRRC still uses it today, along with other things.
The first seal
The first seal that Lenie ‘t Hart cared for was found on December 21st, 1970, in Lauwersoog. At that moment, nothing had been prepared for its rehabilitation. For the time being, the animal named Loeskus had to make do with a wash tub, which Lenie had dug into her garden. After a couple of weeks of care, Loeskus had recovered sufficiently to be released back to the Wadden Sea. It was released during the ferry crossing to Schiermonnikoog.
Shortly after that, Lenie had two small pools built in her back garden and, with a couple of voluntary helpers, the foundation was laid for the SRRC as we know it today. After several years, the back garden became too small. Thanks to a campaign, ‘Caring About Nature’ by the World Wildlife Foundation, money was raised to build the first part of the SRRC as it exists today.
