NEWS FEED
Poole Harbour’s resident seal has double identity
French rescuers of a seal they named Bonnemine are delighted to hear that nine years later she is alive and well and living in Poole Harbour, however, the Dorset seal ID catalogue reveals that her British name is Domino.
It was Dorset Wildlife Trust’s (DWT’s) Seal project that enabled conservationists to discover that Domino who has lived in Poole Harbour for nine years, is in fact Bonnemine and she journeyed here from France in 2007 when she was just a pup.
Using photographs submitted to the DWT seal project, the serial number of a tag on her flippers could be read and was traced back to the Association CHENE in France, which recorded rescuing and subsequently releasing her in Baie du Mont Saint-Michael in 2007. She was fitted with a satellite transmitter and was recorded arriving in Poole Harbour in January 2008.
Bonnemine’s rescuers in France were delighted to hear that she is alive and well across the Channel, proving all their efforts have been worthwhile.
DWT Marine Awareness Officer, Julie Hatcher said, “After Bonnemine’s arrival in Dorset, the track was lost but the seal obviously liked her new surroundings as she decided to stay, and is still one of the handful of resident common seals regularly spotted in Poole Harbour. We are able to tell Bonnemine’s story thanks to receiving photos of her as part of the Dorset Seal Project. We’re so grateful to those taking part as it’s helping us build up a picture of our Dorset seal population, their behaviour, habits and progress.”
Other recent seal sightings include the two rescued common seal pups released in Poole Harbour back in December 2016 with the RSPCA after their rehabilitation. They’ve been seen interacting with the established resident group and photographs taken by members of the public and sent to DWT are helping us establish the health and development of the pair.
