On November 1st, 2023, Lizzi Larbalestier, a marine activist and volunteer British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) concluded the nine month time period in which she worked to turn her Airbnb into an animal shelter for seals. Once she was done, she realized that it wasn’t enough, so she decided to build a fully functioning seal hospital. According to Andy Corbley, a writer for Good News Network says, “The new facility has ten pens, while the couple’s home facility had just six.” (Nov 1st) The volunteer group has expanded their size to hold more seals.

And with adding more seals to the hospital, they have trained many more people to help the cause. According to Lauren Beavis and Chloe Parkman, writers for Cornwall Live, they say “From coordinating on the phone hotline to mobilize medics for hundreds of seals, to caring for them at the seal unit we had prior to our home hospital… to running the home hospital, (another 139), and now at the new hospital, approximately 200 so far. Add to this, training over 100 medics over the last few years who each provide support for the seals and the numbers become hazy… but we all play our part.” (Oct 24)

It has been a worry that climate change will affect the lives of these seals. Another quote from Larbalestier from the writers at Cornwall Live, she says, “We can’t make a direct link to climate change – but with that in mind it is also unusual that we see our animals struggling with different illnesses than perhaps they might have previously had.” (Oct 24 Beavis/Parkman)

All of this work has gotten Larbalestier an award. According to Andy Corbley, a writer for Good News Network, “she received the prestigious Animal Action Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), presented in London” (Nov 1) With volunteers such as these and volunteers around the world, it’s taking one step closer to a cleaner and safer world.