Babyface the seal celebrates his birthday in style

Keepers at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek have created a pretty impressive 'fish cake' in honour of one of their elderly residents.

Babyface joined the Cornish Seal Sanctuary on 17th September 2010 after spending 26 years at Colchester Zoo. Unfortunately his partner passed away, so he joined the Sanctuary family so he could live with other common seals. He is believed to be the oldest common seal in captivity in Europe.

To celebrate Babyface’s special day, the team decided it was only right he had an icy fish cake to mark his 39th birthday. The cake is made from layers of ice with natural food colouring, as well as sprat and mackerel for a tasty treat as it melts!

Although this is a fantastic treat for Babyface, it is also part of his enrichment programme - the Sanctuary works hard to keep their residents happy, busy and both physically and mentally engaged throughout the day..

Natalie Dyer, animal care assistant and Babyface’s primary trainer says

“Babyface is the nicest seal in the world and no-one deserves a birthday party more than him!”

“Initially Babyface was quite timid, but we have really built a strong bond over the last two years and our mutual trust has definitely aided his husbandry training. “

“Last year he learned how to enter his transport cage and this year he has learned to return to the pool on command and is working on showing his teeth for oral examinations. He’s still pretty sharp for his age!” she said.

• Watch the moment Babyface was presented with his birthday cake:

Video courtesy Cornish Seal Sanctuary

The team are also applying for Babyface to hold a Guinness World Record for the oldest common seal in captivity in the UK. The Sanctuary already holds the award for world’s longest living male grey seal and is hoping to gain a second title with Babyface.