Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Centre

Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Centre
Lithuania

Denmark

The Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Centre has so far saved the lives of 200 young grey seals. A multi-stakeholder initiative, including the Department of the Environment of Lithuania, it rescues seals and other marine animals, and, where possible, rehabilitates them and releases them back into the wild.

The Centre is part of the Lithuanian Sea Museum, which has been rehabilitating marine animals since 1987. The opening of the Baltic Sea Animal Rehabilitation Centre means that animals, including seals, but also birds affected by pollution, can be cared for in much a more comfortable and sustainable facility.

Another important component of the centre is awareness – both in terms of informing the public about the rich and varied marine life of the Baltic and educating them on what to do if they spot a seal in distress on the beach. This is particularly important from March onwards, when the seal pup migration begins.

The Sea Museum acts as a contact point for members of the public to report seal sightings. Once a sick or malnourished baby seal is identified and its location given, expert staff rush to the scene to rescue the helpless pup and take it to the centre for specialist care.

Thanks to the efforts of the centre, seals can now be released back to sea with satellite transmitters attached to extract valuable data on migration patterns and behaviour for researchers. In this way, the centre plays an important role in the scientific community of practice in the Baltic Sea area, educates the community, and contributes to conservation efforts – the Baltic Sea seal species is on the IUCN list of threatened species and the HELCOM red list of endangered species.

Find out more about the project (external link)