Dame Judi Dench is friends with Queen (Consort) Camilla, which gives me some reservations about her judgment. She also has some bad takes about noted Hollywood predators. So, this story is not so much about Judi herself as it is a celebration of the adorable rescued grey seal pup who was named after her. Judi the seal pup is a star. Dame Judi, friend of Camilla, was at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary the same day as a three-week-old seal pup was rescued and brought in. The naming theme for the month is ‘actors and actresses’ so the volunteers at the sanctuary christened the pup as Judi Dench. There is also another seal in residence at the sanctuary named, wonderfully, after Owen Wilson. It’s just so random, I love it.
Judi Dench has received the seal of approval from a British wildlife charity.
The acclaimed British actor met a gray seal pup named after her when she visited the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, England, last month, the organization shared in a press release this week.
Dench, 88, was in the region with family on Sept. 22 and decided to stop by the sanctuary. The facility took in an injured and dehydrated female pup the same day.
“It was like fate,” sanctuary fundraising manager Leanne Atwood said in the release. “It just so happened that, as Dame Judi and her family explored the Sanctuary, this pup was admitted to our Seal Hospital.”
Since the sanctuary’s theme for naming seals this season is “actors and actresses,” there was only one moniker choice for the female pup.
“We knew we just had to name her after Judi Dench, who was already on our list of name ideas,” Atwood said.
Judi the seal is an adorable baby. It doesn’t get cuter to me than seal pups. I used to volunteer at a marine mammal rescue, and in that place, whoever rescued the animal got to name it. People came up with some fun names, such as Bagel, or Chevy (who was rescued from underneath a car). In rehabilitate-and-release rescues, the names are just used by staff and volunteers to make it easier to differentiate between patients–the animals are never called by name like we do with pets. Instead each animal gets a number, with a tag that goes on one of their flippers so they can be identified if they ever get rescued again. I hope that Judi the seal makes a quick recovery and can get back to her home in the wild. Maybe she will become frenemies with Owen Wilson at “fish school” where rescue pups learn to compete with each other for resources like they do in the wild.
PSA: If you ever see a seal pup on the beach, do not approach it! If it looks wounded, emaciated, entangled, or is behaving erratically, do not approach it and call 911, or look up your local marine animal rescue and call them. Seal moms get so spooked by the sight of humans that they will abandon their babies out of fear so it’s critical to give adults and pups at least 50 yards–or half a football field–of space. Abandonment can be fatal for pups. It’s normal for seals and sea lions to “haul out” on the beach to rest, which is why it’s a good idea to call a marine mammal rescue. They can help determine if a seal is just resting or might need medical care.
Thanks for posting this! Marine rescue wasn’t a topic I knew anything about before this. For anyone in Atlantic Canada check out MARS.
Thank you for this Belspethen! We’re in Edmonton and were just in Inverness, NS for a quick vacation last month to golf at Cabot Links and absolutely fell in love with Cape Breton Island. And in memory of our trip, I’ve made a donation. Thanks again for sharing the info about MARS
My sister volunteered at a similar rescue place in Northern CA. Thanks for the tips at the end!
Clarkson and Camilla’s mate : Judi Dench. Used to admire her. Not any longer.
Oh dear, she’s going to be upset about that.
If you go to their site there’s a link to donate to their winter appeal. I just went and donated. These pups are so freaking adorable ❤️
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