Scottish safari park welcomes sea lion pup with adorable Loch Ness Monster name

Lucinda Cameron, PA Scotland & Alexander Smail

11 July 2024 at 0:12 pm·2-min read

A Scottish safari park is celebrating the birth of its third sea lion pup of the year.

California sea lion Luce gave birth to her second pup, Nessie, on June 25 at Blair Drummond Safari Park following an 11-month pregnancy. Described by keepers as having an "adventurous spirit", the adorable seal is named after the Loch Ness Monster.

Nessie is the third pup born in the past year at Blair Drummond, joining big brother Barney who was born in June 2023. Staff have revealed that both Nessie and Luce are doing well, and will be closely monitored over the coming weeks.

Sea lions team leader at Blair Drummond Jen Carpenter commented: "We're delighted to welcome Nessie to our family. Nessie is growing more confident every day and, just like the mythical creature she's named for, seems to have a very adventurous spirit.

Nessie, a California sea lion pup recently born at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, near Stirling. — Adorable little Nessie was born in June at Blair Drummond Safari -Credit:Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

"Last year's pups are extremely curious about her, and it will be lovely to see them all playing together in the future. California sea lions are such a charismatic species and really help us to educate our visitors about the importance of marine biodiversity."

Confirming sea lion pregnancies can be a challenging task. However, the team at the Stirling safari park utilised modern ultrasound technology to help.

Initially, staff worked with a dummy machine to get the sea lions used to the sensation of having the ultrasound wand moved over them without dealing with the vibrations and high-frequency sounds. The team got the group used to these sounds by having the real machine near them during training, without actually touching them with it.

Eventually, the two phases came together, allowing keeper to complete a true ultrasound. Nessie was discovered during one of these training sessions.

Lead veterinarian Romain Pizzi stated: "Having our sea lions voluntarily participate in the ultrasound process gives us a significant advantage. It lets us know for sure whether our sea lions are pregnant and eliminates guesswork.

"Once the pregnancy is confirmed, our team can then prepare accordingly by adjusting the mother's diet and getting things ready for the pup's arrival. Building up to this point took a lot of effort, but the payoff has been absolutely worth it."

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to the Scotland Now newsletter here.

Storyful
Pair of Bald Eagles Pried Apart During Tussle in Canada
A raptor specialist in South Surrey, British Columbia, had to pry apart two bald eagles talon by talon after they became entangled during combat, footage posted to TikTok on July 28 shows.Footage captured by OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society shows a staff member carefully separating the two birds.According to the sanctuary, the two adult males had gripped to each other’s legs “during an intraspecies fight – where they fight to protect their nesting areas during baby season” in Surrey on July 12.“On arrival to the scene, we attempted to scare them apart, which usually does work, but not in this case. Neither would let go and continued to argue, so we had to pry apart each talon,” the sanctuary wrote on TikTok.“During the separation, we decided to try to release the less injured bird in case he had a nest nearby. He flew away awkwardly into the path of an unsuspecting scooterist,” they added in the post.“Luckily these two were fine, and the handling only took four minutes,” the sanctuary told Storyful. Credit: OWL Orphaned Wildlife via Storyful
Cover Media
Bruno The Galapagos Tortoise Undergoes CT Scan
A 16-year-old Galapagos tortoise from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has been getting a special CT (Computed Tomography) scan to help Zoo vets pinpoint the cause of his recent lameness. Bruno the tortoise had been suffering an unexplained limp - prompting zoo staff to take unusual action. "Bruno started limping a few weeks ago, and there were no obvious reasons why," said Cincinnati Zoo's curator of ectotherms, Winton Ray. The MedVet firm has helped the Zoo over the years with cases that required more sophisticated imaging equipment than its animal hospital has, but most of those animals have been the size of pets that are regularly treated at the Cincinnati veterinary care facility.
Oxford Mail
10 cute pictures show new arrivals in wildlife park baby boom
Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire is celebrating an impressive number of new arrivals – in fact over 428 births from 53 different species so far this year.
Wales Online
'Huge shark' spotted by woman on fishing trip
She described the experience as 'unnerving' and said the creature kept following their boat, disappearing beneath the waves then reappearing again
PA Media: UK News
Plant species recorded in Bedfordshire for first time in restored quarry land
Local expert plant surveyors found a liverwort called Weedy Frillwort in the ‘Mars-like’ landscape of the Sandy Heath Quarry.
The Independent
Florida scrambles for solutions to contain ‘wayward’ sea turtles from getting on to commuter road
The sea turtles have started to climb up sand dunes which were constructed to keep them at bay
Wales Online
Line of trees cut down at busy retail park because of 'visibility' issues
It doesn't seem to have gone down well with shoppers, but the park's new owners said they planned to plant new trees and shrubs
CBC
2 black bears killed after trying to access food at B.C. music festival
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) says it had to kill two black bears on July 24 after the bears tried to access coolers and tents at a popular music festival in B.C.Conservation officers say they received multiple reports of bears accessing tents in the Shambhala festival area in the days leading up to the festival."A COS trap was set nearby, but no bears were captured," the service said in an emailed statement to CBC News. "Additional reports of bears frequenting the festival site
The Northern Echo
New shoots growing on Sycamore Gap tree give hope it might live on
New shoots have been spotted growing on the stump of the Sycamore Gap tree
Associated Press
Wetland plant once nearly extinct may have recovered enough to come off the endangered species list
The federal wildlife service on Tuesday proposed that a wetland plant once in danger of going extinct be taken off the endangered species list due to its successful recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking that the northeastern bulrush be delisted. The plant is a leafy perennial herb with a cluster of flowers found in the Northeast from Vermont to Virginia.
The Guardian
Where have all Britain’s garden butterflies gone?
Despite a decade of wilding, my flowers appear to be hosts of a party to which no guests have turned up
HuffPost
Critics Stunned By Donald Trump’s ‘Heartless’ Punchline About Man Killed At His Rally
The Republican nominee was slammed as horrible, unkind and a “self-centered sadistic monster” over the line.
Wales Online
Clare Balding's 'third leg' comment to Welsh swimmer leaves him stunned before BBC row
Presenter Clare Balding has been a prominent figure on the BBC's coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she has come under fire following an exchange with Rebecca Adlington
Manchester Evening News
Southport stabbings suspect's neighbours speak out as details of his life emerge
Three girls were killed in Southport on Monday
The Telegraph
Labour pensions ‘cliff edge’ to cost retirees hundreds of pounds
Retirees could find themselves hundreds of pounds worse off thanks to a new state pension “cliff edge” created by Labour.
The Daily Beast
Starving American Yoga Student Chained to Tree ‘For 40 Days’
An American woman who went to India a decade ago to study yoga and meditation has claimed she survived without food and water for 40 days after being shackled to a tree by her former husband.U.S. citizen Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found starving and emaciated on Saturday by a local shepherd in a remote forest in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra about 25 miles from Goa, according to reports.The shepherd broke an iron chain that was used to secure her to the tree. Police said she was severel
Wales Online
ITV This Morning fans 'disgusted' after 'insensitive' Southport comment
This Morning viewers were left furious during Tuesday's show after watching the ITV programme's 'insensitive' segment about the Southport stabbing
The Independent
Rachel Reeves will be forced to U-turn on winter fuel means tests, warns former minister
The former minister who was in charge of pensioner benefits for five years has explained why Rachel Reeves’s plans to means test winter fuel payments will have to be ditched
The Telegraph
Footage captures Southport suspect less than an hour before mass stabbing
The teenager suspected of killing three young girls in Southport was filmed on CCTV in the hour before the stabbings took place.
The Telegraph
The absurd plot to turn a tiny Scottish island into an Islamic state
It sounded like the pitch for an edgy comedy: the extremist cleric plotting to buy a remote Scottish island and turn it into an Islamic state. Think Four Lions meets Local Hero.

Latest stories