Our Sheba

Today, 12th November 2025, we said the saddest farewell to the matriarch of our Sanctuary – Sheba.

For more than 50 incredible years Sheba has been one of the most beloved residents at the Sanctuary for staff and generations of guests.

Sheba was rescued as a pup by the Sanctuary’s founder Ken Jones in 1974.  She came to us with injuries and infections that left her partially sighted and not able to be safely returned to the wild but quickly learnt to adapt and thrive within the safety of the Sanctuary’s care.  

As long as anyone can recall, Sheba has always been a strong female who knows her own mind, some might stay stubborn, but also as clever as they come!  Known to the team as ‘Queen Sheba’, she naturally took up the role of the matriarch within our seal family, even putting many a male grey seal in their place, and they seemed to adore her for it! She was a firm favourite of our old male Magnus, as well as a certain young male half her age called Ray!

She equally stole the hearts of many of her care team over the decades as well as confusing them as to how she could consistently maintain her 150kg weight!  There are so many stories of Sheba’s playful nature from zoomies around the pool in feed sessions, chasing staff along the haul out, cuddling up with Atlanta, stealing toys from Ray and sleeping in front of doors to block the team from entering.

She was playful and clever and could work out any enrichment activity the team introduced her to. She loved all kinds of fish, frozen jelly, feed balls - really anything she could bite! Her favourite however was a very non-descript orange squeaky ball, that she would carry off and refuse to give back! On her 50^th birthday, when presented with a 3-tier fishy ice cake and brass band, Sheba was far more interested in her favourite ball.

Sheba could be extremely stubborn during training sessions, often refusing to sit still and rolling back into the pool. With much perseverance and encouragement, she let the team perform basic health checks and eye treatments. In her old age, she even learnt to open her mouth so her trainers could keep a better check on her dental health.

The Sanctuary is going to feel a little emptier for quite some time, but Sheba’s legacy fills every corner of the Sanctuary.

Rest in peace Sheba. You will always be the heart and the Queen of our Sanctuary.