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Video length: 3 min
Netherlands: Ecomare hospital, a refuge for injured seals
In De Koog, in the Netherlands, the Ecomare hospital treats injured seals before releasing them into the sea. Open to the public, it earns its income from entry tickets and some donations.
(France 2)
In De Koog, in the Netherlands, the Ecomare hospital treats injured seals before releasing them into the sea. Open to the public, it earns its income from entry tickets and some donations.
In the cold waters of the North Sea, far from any human activity, there are immense sandbanks populated by thousands of seals. Conditions are ideal, yet seals fall victim to disease, parasites, fishing nets and bites. Most seals don’t even survive a year. To help seals, Ecomare is a hospital located in De Koog (Netherlands). It is dedicated to these marine mammals.
Nearly a hundred seals treated each year
At Ecomare, everything is done in front of visitors. Entrance tickets and some donations are the hospital’s only income. Enough to care for nearly a hundred seals each year. The seal meal is a small event, but the apotheosis is always when a seal finds freedom. A seal that arrived injured a month ago is a little disoriented facing the sea. On the beach, around twenty curious people are captured by this magical moment. As with each release, monitor the horizon, in the hope of never seeing the rescued seals again.
