Source: Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary

WE WEREN’T THE only ones shaking in our boots during last week’s wild weather: These poor seals had a pretty tough time of it too.

Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary is appealing for help to get back up and running after last week’s violent storms “flattened” the facility.

“The winds annihilated the place” Ally McMillan told DailyEdge.ie:

There was debris flying everywhere and we had to abandon the place because if you got hit by anything you’d be killed.

The sanctuary was almost completely destroyed, leaving the team without the appropriate facilities to care for 15 seals – several of which are in a critical state.

McMillan said another badly injured animal arrived from Wexford last night, bringing the total number of seals in their care to 16.

160km/hr hurricane force winds wreaked havoc on the Seal Sanctuary's timber structures. Source: Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary

Determined to get back on its feet, the sanctuary has launched an online campaign to raise enough cash to restore the facility.

Most of the buildings on site were left totally unfit for purpose. Source: Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary

McMillan told DailyEdge.ie that she is overwhelmed by the generous donations made via the GoFundMe page so far, which now total more than €4,700.

To get that much was incredible, we are so appreciative. I really want to say a big thank you to everyone who has offered to help us.

However, it doesn’t seem likely that the cash raised will actually cover the cost of the necessary repairs.

Jenny is just one of the seals who weathered the storm. Source: Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary

McMillan’s partner – a carpenter – estimates that €4,000 is “the minimum” the job will cost, but they’ll have to wait until an assessor visits the premises later this week to get an official estimation.

They haven’t ruled out the need to rebuild the whole place from scratch just yet either.

In the interim they’re working on alternative plans to get the sanctuary back up and running, even considering a move to an alternative premises if necessary.

We’re not going to give up. We’ll be back up and running. Wildlife in general is so impacted by humans – directly or indirectly – so it’s nice to think that people have somewhere to send them if they need help.

You can find more details on Dingle Seal and Wildlife Sanctuary’s Facebook page, or on the GoFundMe campaign page here.

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