Meet Morris: the rescued puffin who likes the radio and hand-fed fish!
Wednesday, 07 October 2026
A young puffin found starving on the Cornish coast has joined the flock at Puffin Island, Cornish Seal Sanctuary
The Cornish Seal Sanctuary has welcomed a new member to its puffin crew. Morris was found weak and underweight at Hawkes Point, and after a relay of phone calls and a dash across West Cornwall, has now settled in with ten new puffin friends on Puffin Island at the Sanctuary.
When Morris was found, Mousehole Bird Hospital was closed, so the injured bird was taken to Rosevean Vets in Penzance, where she was collected by a local bird re-hab specialist, Jon Matthews, and taken into his care .
“We feel genuinely grateful that we were able to share so much time with such a gorgeous bird” Jon said. “She was able to rebuild on our piano after her wing issue which prevents her release. She seemed to enjoy her homely comforts of regular fish feed and World Cup football (she loved watching the matches!)
It is fabulous to hand her care now to a team who understand long term bird help and ensure that she has a long and healthy life as a Cornish puffin amongst her Icelandic cousins.”
Morris’ name comes from the rescue itself. On the way to the vets, Jon stopped at Morrisons in Penzance to buy raw whitebait and asked the fishmonger if he would help feed a puffin in the car park. The staff were delighted to help, and the puffin was named Morris!
Since arriving at the Sanctuary, DNA testing has revealed that Morris is in fact a female bird, though the name has stuck.
After investigation, the vets believe Morris had a damaged wing over winter and was looked after by her parents. When they left for the breeding colony in early March, she could no longer chase bait fish and sadly began to starve.
After 30 days in isolation, she joined the rest of the puffins this week.
Clare Addyman, Animal Care Specialist at the sanctuary said: "We're so pleased to have Morris with us. She's such a special little puffin who whilst in her isolation period could be quite demanding at times: she loved to listen to the radio, and to be hand-fed her fish. Now she’s joined the other puffins, she is integrating with the colony well. She is often seen sitting near fellow resident Karen, sleeping in one of the burrows or motorboating around the pool!
Morris is still learning how to eat for herself and needs some encouragement, in particular she loves eating mini fish egg mountains at the end of the day from our palms!”
Visitors to the Cornish Seal Sanctuary can now visit Morris and her fellow puffins and watch her find her (flappy) feet in her new home.
How you can help puffins this winter
If you find an injured animal on a beach, the usual advice for wildlife is to watch and wait. For puffins, please don't. Their body fat is seriously depleted by the time they wash ashore, so every minute counts.
The Sanctuary would advise the public to urgently contact their local veterinary practice or RSPCA wildlife branch (Cornwall’s would be RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife – 0300 123 0721) or a local bird hospital (Mousehole, 01736 731386) for advice.
As live puffins require specialist care and bird flu remains a risk, the charity would advise the public against intervening themselves, if not fully prepared or an experienced wildlife rehabber.
