A “stubborn” grey seal pup found injured on a Cornish beach celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday as Britain’s oldest-known seal.
Sheba the grey seal was found with a head injury and a nasty eye infection by local Ken Jones in 1974.
He took her home to his wife Mary, where the couple rehabilitated seals in a pool, and nursed Sheba back to a stable condition.
Her health conditions, including a loss of vision, prevented her from returning to the sea and she’s now outlasted all of the other animals who have come and gone.
Over time, the Jones’ rehab centre moved from their backyard to the village of Gweek and now looks after around 70 seal pups a year.
“Reaching 50 is a huge milestone, not just for Sheba but for everyone here who has been part of her journey,” said Tamara Cooper, curator at the facility in southwest England.
Seals typically survive 25 to 30 years in the wild, with females in captivity living to 40 and males to about 30.
Spook, a male grey seal born at the New York Aquarium in 1965, was thought to be the world’s oldest seal when he died weeks shy of his 45th birthday in 2010.
It is thought Sheba is currently the world’s oldest seal to be kept in captivity.
‘It’s all on her own sweet time’
While Sheba is well-liked by the public and her handlers, she’s not the most cooperative creature.
She’s reluctant to learn new tricks, such as being rolled over for inspections of her belly, flippers, tails and teeth.
When it comes to receiving drops for her milky eyes, sometimes she’ll accept the medicine but if she doesn’t fancy it, she just waddles her mottled-fur body away and splashes back into the pool.
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“She’s a bit stubborn,” said Heather Green, an animal care specialist.
“She’d been so used to just being fed and not having to work for her fish that even now she still protests slightly.
“If we ask her to do any behaviour or something, it’s all on her own sweet time and she’ll definitely let you know if she’s up for training or not.”
At her birthday party, a brass band serenaded Sheba and visitors and staff sang to her.
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Presented with a purple triple-layer cake made of ice and adorned with her name, the number 50 and several hearts, the guest of honour happily chomped on the small fish poking from the top.
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“She’ll eat any fish,” Green said. “She’s not particularly fussy.”
