Last seals released as Pieterburen rescue center closes after 50 years
On Saturday, the center marked the end of its operations in Pieterburen with the symbolic release of two young seals—Ollie and Brandy—who were deemed fit to return to the wild, according to RTV Noord and NOS. Although the facility is nearly empty, a handful of seals still remain in the pools for a few more days. These animals are not yet strong enough to be released and will be transferred later this week.
The center has been closed to the public since early January, as staff prepare for the organization’s move to a new, modern facility in Lauwersoog. Ahead of that relocation, the last seals had to leave Pieterburen.
RTV Noord reported that Sunday’s farewell was marked by a celebratory gathering, with residents of Pieterburen, donors, and former staff in attendance.
Agnes Klont, a local resident, told NOS, “I was born in 1971, just like the seal nursery. I don’t know it any other way than this being here. We experienced so much—famous Dutch people visiting, tourists from abroad. My girlfriends used to go feed seals at night in between going out. It brought life to the village.”
Farmer Henk Koster also came to say goodbye. “I’ve seen the whole development, from the beginning,” he told the newspaper. “Lenie ’t Hart used to come to us for supplies to raise seal pups. What was built here is a success for Pieterburen and for the seals. For the vitality of the village, it would’ve been better if it had stayed here.”
Both Ollie and Brandy are young seals. Ollie was found on Schiermonnikoog in mid-January, just ten days old and suffering from an abscess on his back. Brandy was rescued from Terschelling in early March, with deep wounds on his flippers.
After weeks of medical treatment and rehabilitation, both animals were declared healthy enough to return to the wild. On Sunday, staff removed the seals from their enclosures, placed them in transport crates, and took them to Lauwersoog. From there, they were brought by boat to a sandbank near Schiermonnikoog.
Iris Beekman from Groningen had the honor of releasing them. “My boyfriend gave me this as a Christmas gift. He knows how much I love seals. I used to give presentations about them at school,” she told NOS. “This is something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. And now I’m the one releasing the last seal from Pieterburen back into the sea. Very special.”
Sijla van Leeuwen, a donor from Doetinchem, watched the release with her husband. This was her 25th seal release in 40 years. “We’ve really grown attached to it,” she told NOS. “Every time I see a seal swim away, it moves me. They look around first, sometimes they even come back briefly, and then they go. That always remains magical.”
Despite the ceremonial farewell, Pieterburen is not entirely empty. A sudden influx of weakened seals—ten in total—forced the staff to revise their plans. “It’s not feasible for us to divide care across two locations,” said staff member Emmy Venema. As a result, those seals will be transferred later this week to the new facility in Lauwersoog.
The new facility is located at the Werelderfgoedcentrum Waddenzee (World Heritage Center Wadden Sea), which has been under construction for two years and will officially open on April 26.
The new center will not only provide advanced care for sick and injured seals—including a special lift designed for transporting them—but also offer a broader educational experience for visitors.
“We want to show visitors how vulnerable the Wadden Sea area is,” Venema said. “With pollution, natural gas extraction, and pressure on the environment, there’s a lot of work to do. In the new center, we can tell that story more effectively.”
