Iceberg Lettuce 6th seal pup rescued by the Boat House – please donate to their care & the #GSPCABIGGESTBUILDAppeal

Iceberg Lettuce sixth grey seal pup rescued now at the GSPCA – please donate to their care & the #GSPCABIGGESTBUILDAppeal

Late last night saw the 6^th seal pup since mid December.

Iceberg Lettuce a female grey seal pup was last night rescued in the heart of St Peter Port.

She was first spotted in the harbour on the weekend and the team have been monitoring the poorly pup.

Once again the sixth pup must have been separated from her mother too early as she is only 20kgs which is less than half her ideal body weight.

The stormy conditions we have had recently have not been kind to our seal pups and Iceberg Lettuce not only being incredibly thin was also extremely dehydrated and currently in intensive care in our temporary seal facilities while the new build continues.

Geoff George Head of Marine Mammals said “On the weekend we had reports of a seal pup in St Peter Port harbour.”

“We were hoping a mum was near by and the pup would return to sea with her but sadly we have had no adult sightings and last night got a call around 10pm that the pup was on the slip way by the boat house.”

“The rescue of the poorly pup was the shortest distance I have ever had to walk from the GSPCA Ambulance and she is extremely poorly.”

“We have called the new pup Iceberg Lettuce and she is only 20kgs, so half the ideal weight, in a very vulnerable position and very dehydrated.”

“She is doing well in our temporary intensive care area, but she has a long road to recovery”

“Iceberg Lettuce joins those rescued last month which we named Glacier, Frosty and Blizzard, with two earlier this month Icicle and Avalanche making 6 in total in our care.”

Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said “Iceberg Lettuce joins the other 5 Guernsey grey seal pups all of which are receiving 24/7 care with Geoff and the team.”

“There is a good chance Storm Goretti and the recent high winds has helped caused many of the pups to get separated from their mothers earlier than they should of, and without the mothers rich milk they loose condition very quickly.”

“All pups are in our temporary seal pup area we have made while our new wildlife hospital continues to be built and it has filled very quickly.”

“All pups are very poorly and should be for their age at around 2-6 weeks see a weight over 40kgs ideally.”

“We are at the start of the seal pup season and with the stormy weather this time of year we have no doubt there will be others needing our help and if you do see a seal in trouble please call us on 257261.”

“In the last 14 years we have managed to rescue and release an incredible 45 back into local waters.”

“Although we don’t have our traditional seal facilities as they were demolished earlier this year, we have created a fantastic area while the Wildlife Hospital is being built.”

“The Wildlife Hospital is part of our BIGGEST Build in our history and we really need your support and to find out more please visit https://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/gspca-biggest-build-appeal .”

There are many ways to help us help the seal pups and their future and here are a few ideas –

• Donate to their care https://giving.gg/donate/charity/2/Guernsey-Society-for-the-Prevention-of-Cruelty-to-Animals-(GSPCA)
• We are in need of fresh mackerel and herring
• Please support the new Wildlife Hospital to replace the current building https://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/gspca-biggest-build-appeal

If You Spot A Seal Pup

If you find a seal pup that looks FIT AND HEALTHY and it shows no signs of distress, you may consider monitoring it from a safe distance for 24 hours. Unfortunately, too many seal pups get taken into captivity because people think they have been abandoned. If the mother does not return within 24 hours, we would ask you to contact 01481 257261.

A healthy pup looks like a big, stuffed maggot without a neck. However, a thin pup looks sleek (but not bony) and has a visible neck, like a healthy dog.

PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE SEAL. They can give a nasty bite, which will become infected by bacteria that live in a seal’s mouths.

Note: Do not allow dogs or other animals to harass a seal.

If a seal is scared back into the water, it could then be washed out to sea by strong currents and be lost. You should not put a seal pup back in the sea as it may get into difficulty.

If a seal pup is sick, thin or injured then we would ask you to contact our 24-hour cruelty and advice line

When reporting an injured, sick or abandoned seal to the GSPCA, please make sure you are able to supply the following information:

• Exact location; nearest town / village
• Position on the beach, and state of the tide
• How long you have observed the pup; any disturbance / risk to it; whether the mother has been seen
• Any wounds / obvious signs of illness
• Length/colour/condition.

Caution:- Handling of any animal either domestic, wild, dead or alive may be potentially hazardous. Obvious dangers include bites, scratches and general hygiene issues. Common sense should be applied in all instances and, if unsure, seek additional advice or assistance. Personal hygiene should be taken into consideration after handling any animal, whether it’s domestic, wild, dead or alive.

For any questions please contact 01481 257261

Please remember and keep your animals and pets safe during the high winds, especially those that are kept outdoors.

Here is a table of the seals we have helped back to the wild and those in our care -

To see some of the previous stories about seals please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/tag/seals .

To see our youtube channel please visit https://www.youtube.com/@TheGuernseySPCA

To see events, ways to support and animals in need please see our latest blog https://www.gspca.org.gg/blog

Upcoming events

• GSPCA Purple Week 13^th February to Friday 20^th February 2026
• GSPCA Celebrates 143 years Saturday 14^th February 2026
• Love Your Pet Day Friday 20^th February 2026
• Half Term Tours February 2026 To be confirmed
• World Wildlife Day 3^rd March 2026
• International Day of the Seal 22^nd March 2026
• National Puppy Day 23^rd March 2026
• Easter Tours March/April 2026 To be confirmed
• National Ferret Day 2^nd April 2026
• Dog First Aid Course 6.30pm - 8.45pm Wednesday 15th April 2026 Ref – Dog15/04
• EDABL Seafront Sunday 26^th April 2026
• Cat First Aid Course 6.30pm - 8.45pm Wednesday 29th April 2026  Ref – Cat29/04
• Animal Welfare Seafront Sunday 3^rd May 2026
• Charities Seafront Sunday 17^th May 2026
• GSPCA Cupcake Week 15^th to 22^nd May 2026
• Half Term Tours May 2026 May 2026 To be confirmed
• Microchip Month June 2026
• Volunteers Week 1^st – 7^th June 2026
• Guernsey Together Saturday 13^th June 2026
• EDABL Seafront Sunday 21^st June 2026
• Take Your Dog to Work Day Friday 26^th June 2026
• Kitten Day 10^th July 2026
• World Snake Day 16^th July 2026
• Guinea Pig Appreciation Day 16th July 2026
• EDABL Seafront Sunday 19^th July 2026
• Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) 23^rd – 27^th July 2026
• Summer Guided Tours July/August 2026 to be confirmed
• South Show GSPCA Dog Show Saturday 8^th August 2026
• West Show 12^th-13^th August 2026
• World Lizard Day 14^th August 2026
• North Show 19^th-20^th August 2026
• International Dog Day 26^th August 2026
• EDABL Seafront Sunday 30^th August 2026
• World Animal Month October 2026
• World Animal Day 4^th October 2026
• Feral Cat Day 16^th October 2026
• National cat Day 29^th October 2026
• Halt Term Spooky Tours October 2026 to be confirmed
• Dog First Aid Course 6.30pm - 8.45pm Thursday 12th November 2026 Ref – Dog12/11
• Cat First Aid Course 6.30pm - 8.45pm Thursday 26th November 2026 Ref – Cat26/11
• Possible Christmas Themed Animal Discovery Trail November/December 2026 to be confirmed with possible Ball
• World Wildlife Conservation Day 4^th December 2026
• Festive Tours December/January 2026/7 to be confirmed

Steve continued “There are many ways to support the work of the GSPCA.”

“Our BIGGEST BUILD is now underway and we are desperately looking for support and to help in anyway please do get in touch and check out this link https://www.gspca.org.gg/blog/gspca-biggestbuild-begins-demolition-underway-%E2%80%93-buying-brick-sponsorship-can-you-help .”

“To become an Angel Pen Pal Sponsor donating each month to help the hundreds of animals in our care which you can do by downloading this form - http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/Angel%20sponsor%20form%20special%202018%20new.pdf or to become a Corporate Angel Pen Pal form for your business to sponsor animals in our care each year please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/Corporate%20Angel%20Pen%20Pal%20sponsor%20formnew.pdf .”

“To think of helping animals and our work in your legacy or will please check out https://www.gspca.org.gg/about/gifts-wills-and-funding .”

“For those from those want to give CSR time and skills to those wanting to help sponsor or support something from our Wish List at the GSPCA http://www.gspca.org.gg/about/our-plans-wish-list .”

“If your group or business would like to find out about spending a day at the Shelter please go to -

http://www.gspca.org.gg/about/corporate-and-group-days “

“For other ways your business can help us here at the GSPCA please go to -

http://www.gspca.org.gg/about/how-your-business-can-help-gspca-corporate-sponsorship “

“If you would like to volunteer then to find out more details here -

http://www.gspca.org.gg/about/volunteers or to complete the volunteer application form please check out https://service.sheltermanager.com/asmservice?account=gspca&method=online_form_html&formid=14 .”

"We also have vacancies at the GSPCA and to find out more please visit https://www.gspca.org.gg/about/vacancies ."

"For lots of ways to support our work please visit https://www.gspca.org.gg/page/gspca-celebrating-150-years ."

“To visit our facebook page check out this link please click here .”

“To visit our x page please click here .”

“Thank you for your support.”