St Andrews Aquarium welcomes new seal pup called Luna

After the sudden and tragic death of visitor favourite Laurel and young harbour seal, Leif, earlier this year, St Andrews Aquarium have welcomed a new common seal pup, Luna, to the aquarium family.

10-month-old Luna travelled 1,286 miles across Europe by car to his new home after Kattegatcentret Aquarium in Grena, Denmark contacted the Fife-based aquarium to see if they would like to re-home the young pup.Luna is now settling in to his comfortable new surroundings overlooking the iconic West Sands on the St Andrews coast where he is getting to know his new aquarium buddies, Nelly and Togo. Luna’s exciting arrival is the latest in a wave of new additions to the aquarium’s growing family.

The aquarium recently welcomed a massive albino Burmese python, the largest known snake in Scotland, measuring 15-feet-long along with a regular Burmese python also measuring nearly 15 feet.

John Mace, Manager at St Andrews Aquarium, commented: “After tragically losing Laurel and Leif earlier this year, everyone here is delighted to be welcoming Luna to St Andrews Aquarium’s growing family. I am sure Luna will love his new home and he is bound to be a hit a hit with our many visitors.”The aquarium were left devastated when Laurel died of liver failure last January and Leif passed away suddenly a few weeks later. Luna’s arrival is the start of a happier chapter for the aquarium’s family of harbour seals.

John continued: “We are looking forward to visitors meeting Luna and our other new additions. As well as our Burmese python duo, who have taken up residence in our brand new snake tank, we have recently welcomed two iguanas, a host of spider crabs and some dwarf crocodiles. We also introduced a state-of-the-art 360 degree viewing clownfish tank where visitors can experience what it is like having the fish swimming all around you.”