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Skegness Natureland welcome dearly departed Sammy the Seal’s pup
Wiggins and his mum Victoria at Natureland Seal Sanctuary.
A BELOVED seal’s popular legacy will live on after his death following the birth of a pup he seared before his sad demise.
Natureland Seal Sanctuary, Skegness, yesterday welcomed the arrival of a new harbour seal pup, whose father, Sammy, had been a star attraction up until his much lamented passing, late last year.
Sammy’s death, at the ripe old age of 30, prompted an outpouring of grief among visitors to the sanctuary who revered his showmanship like qualities and lovable nature.
Natureland director Richard Yeadon hopes his son’s arrival will enable Sammy’s fans to relive fond memories of the charismatic creature.
He said: “Sammy was the star man of feeding time - he stole the show and entertained the crowds with his football skills - he was a bit of a show off.”
The new arrival was born early yesterday morning, before staff arrived at the centre and has been named Wiggins, after the gold-medal winning cyclist Bradley, in accordance with Natureland’s Olympic themed naming convention for 2012.
In honour of his famous father, however, he has also been given the middle name of Sammy.
Wiggins, like other harbour seals, was born on dry land with an immediate capability to swim.
He soon took to the water where he was spotted hitching a ride on the back of his mother Victoria in the main pool.
The young pup will spend the next three weeks feeding on his mother’s rich milk, which will see him treble his weight at an astounding rate.
In the wild, pups would then leave their mothers to fend for themselves, however Wiggins will need to learn how to hunt for fish before his release, which he will undertake in a pool with five pups rescued by the centre this summer.
Until his release, Wiggins will be on display in the centre’s main pool and, like his father, is already the star of the show.
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Weather for Skegness
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
