Introducing 'Hotdog' The Seal Pup!

In surf culture, ‘hotdogging’ basically means showing off your fancy moves in the surf, so it’s no wonder that when the ASI decided to sponsor a tiny, Cornish, Grey seal pup we named him Hotdog! 

Why are we sponsoring Hotdog?

We recently wrote about the plight of seal ups in the UK, how they could often find themselves adrift, separated from their colonies and their families, unable to care for themselves and in serious danger of malnourishment. 

The ray of hope for these little guys is the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and their tireless efforts to rescue, rehabilitate and release these pups once they’ve been identified. So taken were we with their work that we decided to sponsor the rehabilitation of a seal pup ourselves.

Hotdog is a male grey seal pup rescued on 5th December by BDMLR medics (British Divers Marine Life Medics) from Penzance. He was underweight, which typically means he had become separated from his mum, possibly due to the adverse weather we had. He also had minor wounds on his body, which indicates he may have hit some rocks in turbulent waters. When a hospital pen was available, he was brought to the sanctuary where his wounds were treated and he was put on a feeding schedule to help him gain weight. 

Our first pupdate!

He is starting to feel much better and is now learning how to feed in the water. When he has put on some more weight, he will be moved to the nursery pools with some other pups to learn how to dive for his food and socialise. 

We will be keeping a close eye on Hotdog and we will update you on his progress as we learn more. We’ll keep you ‘pupdated’ with pictures and progress reports right up until the glorious moment when he is finally released back into the sea!

The UK seal population

Most of the seals we see in the UK and Irish waters are Grey seals (although there are a small number of Common seals about too). The most important thing to remember if you should find yourself near seals is to give them their space and allow them to decide how the interaction will go. Seals are playful, social and curious animals and this can lead them to get close to paddlers, even occasionally jumping on boards with them! If a seal jumps on your board with you, it is generally best to get off your board and wait for the seal to move on. 

It is important to remember they are wild animals, and you should never attempt to touch or feed them.

For more information on the UK seal population, their behaviour and how you can help, click here to read our interview with the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.

How can you help Hotdog

Huge thanks to the team at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, not just for all that they do for the seals but for helping us to raise awareness of this beautiful animal’s plight to the wider surf and SUP communities in the UK. The most direct way to help the CSS to rehabilitate Hotdog, and others like him, is to visit their JustGiving page and make a donation.

Send us your seal encounter stories!

If you’ve had a close encounter with a seal whilst out on your board we’d love to hear all about it! Send us your stories and we’ll feature you on our blog and our social media channels and send you a fantastic (and eco friendly) Cornish Seal Sanctuary water bottle designed by the amazing team at From Land And Sea! This helps us to raise awareness and educate the wider paddling community about seals, their plight and how to safely interact with them should you be lucky enough to encounter a seal in the wild.

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About ASI
ASI is a professional membership organisation and international governing body for instructors, coaches and schools in the outdoor recreation industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.
We set the standards for education, accreditation, professional development and ongoing support for our members, offering pathways from entry level to elite level.
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