AssetID: 53229668
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Seal Named After Judi Dench Returns To The Wild After Help From Famous Actress
Caption: A grey seal pup named Judi Dench returned to the wild on Tuesday (21November2023) after being helped back to health by the famous actress herself. The pup was found injured and dehydrated this autumn and taken in by the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek. As it happened, the wildlife-loving James Bond star was in the area with her family at the time - and met her sick seal namesake. The Dench family visit on 22 September was described as “fate” by the charity’s Fundraising Manager Leanne Attwood. The actress was so excited to meet Judi the seal, she ‘adopted’ her and fellow rescue Owen Wilson to support the charity’s efforts. Finty Williams, Dame Judi Dench’s daughter, was also on the visit with her mother. She said: “We felt so very lucky to see them both and Ma is very honoured that she has a little seal, bounding about in the sea, that shares her name.” Today, Judi the pup has returned to the wild with fellow rescues, Owen Wilson and Jack Black, following their successful rehabilitation programme. The release was the charity’s first one of the 23/24 grey seal pup season. With the four pups now healthy and ready to face life in the wild, they’ll have the best possible chance for survival. Tamara Cooper, Curator for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, says, “It hasn’t been an easy start to the pup season, with a number of pups who came to the Sanctuary with complicated issues early in the autumn. “It’s a wonderful feeling to now see some of those pups successfully completing our rehabilitation programme and returning back to where they belong. “Our hospital continues to be incredibly busy, but, with the help of our supporters, our team continues to work hard to return as many seal pups back to the wild as possible. “Finally, a huge thank you to our friends at British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who are coordinating the rescues and supporting the initial rehabilitation of many of our pups this year.” As the season continues and the winter storms roll in, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary is now reminding beachgoers to take precautions when visiting beaches where pups are present. Tamara adds: “Human disturbance is a huge problem for our seal pup population, and we’d recommend anyone heading to their local beaches this winter to keep dogs on lead until checking the beach is clear, and keeping their distance if it isn’t.”
Keywords: judi dench,seal,natural world,feature,photo,video,nature
PersonInImage: