Sahara - the seal with wanderlust - snuggles up for another summer on ice in Cornwall
Sahara the world's best known - and the UK's only - captive arctic hooded seal is hitting the headlines again. The 2-year-old, timid male who was originally rescued in 2006 after being washed up near Morocco, thousands of miles from his Arctic home is set to become the National Seal Sanctuaries most popular guest.
After he featured on News programmes all over the world in 2008 highlighting his plight, visitors from around the globe have made trips to the National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek in Cornwall especially to see him. So much so that the Sanctuary has appealed to Hubbard Ice Systems to extend indefinitely the loan of the UK's only Scotsman MFN56 Bulk Nugget Ice machine which was provided to see Sahara through his recuperation until he was fit to be released again.
Originally intended for one of the UK's most prestigious supermarket delicatessens, the machine was made available to Sahara as a 'humanitarian' gesture when Hubbard Ice Systems heard of his story and the unique machine was due to be returned to the European headquarters of Scotsman ice Systems in Milan at the beginning of 2009.
Capable of producing up to half a tonne of ice in a day Scotsman Nugget Ice is ideal for Sahara and his handlers as it is of consistent quality, easy to work with and slow-melt, perfect to keep Sahara cooler for longer. The machine was installed and is maintained by Bartlett's the South West's leading supplier of commercial refrigeration equipment.
The ice is shovelled directly from the machine to create a 'haul out' area for Sahara to relax on and despite being a shy creature Sahara has become quite a 'show-off' using the ice to soothe his body and as a tasty addition to his fish diet.
Even though Sahara is now a much stronger seal it has been decided that he will never be fit for release back into the wild and his permanent home will now be the Sanctuary in Cornwall.
The Sanctuary are keen to make Sahara’s life as comfortable as possible and are trying to raise funds to improve his pool habitat to ensure that he has a healthy and peaceful life now that he is so popular.
Sarah Vine of the National Seal Sanctuary explains; "Sahara, because of his TV appearances, is one of our most popular seals. It is very rare for an arctic hooded seal to be kept in captivity as we make every effort to ensure that if seals are fit enough to be released then they are returned to their natural habitat at the earliest opportunity. Unfortunately even though Sahara has now recovered physically he is still very timid and whilst he has become used to the limelight and TV stardom he is not comfortable in the company of other seals and it is unlikely that he would be able to fend for himself in the wild. Many of our visitors have asked how they can help Sahara and we have received donations from well-wishers all around the world who want to ensure that he at last has a safe future. Now we need to ensure that his pool environment is brought up to the standard that a seal of this size needs."
David Bartlett, Managing Director of Bartlett's says; "Sahara is a real character, whenever we visit the sanctuary to make sure his ice machine is producing ice of the quality he prefers he always comes out to greet us. We always make a point of calling in to see how he is, even though his ice machine has yet to actually need any servicing or repairs. We've even set up a collection box for him in our South West head office where customers, visitors and the general public can make a donation towards his new pool refurbishment. Sahara is such a good global ambassador for the South West we have even been thinking of calling for him to be made Cornwall's official mascot."
