River Adur seal Riviere: Shoreham Wordfest talk will give fascinating insight into our resident female

Having been rescued from a beach in Belgium in August 2019, Riviere made her way to Shoreham after being cared for by researchers, rehabilitated and returned to the sea.

Since May 2020, Sussex zoologist Stephen Savage has been following her movements and he will be sharing his findings in a talk at the Ropetackle Arts Centre on October 11.

He said: “The resident seal Riviere is still delighting locals who spot her as they walk along the River Adur. The presence of this seal has greatly added to our understanding of how seals interact with river ecology.”

Stephen said the seal had attracted a great deal of interest and the public had played an important part in the study by sending in sightings and photographs.

Detailed mapping of the natural marking of Riviere’s fur patterns has led Stephen to discover that a seal seen at Henfield back in May 2020 was in fact Riviere.

He explained: “Two seals were observed in the river at that time but it was difficult to tell them apart. We now know that Riviere remained and the other seal returned to the sea.”

Riviere was named because of her origins. She was rescued from a beach in Belgium on August 14, 2019, and returned to the sea on November 6, 2019, with an ID tag which enabled Stephen to trace her origins after she arrived in Shoreham.