Seehundstation Norddeich

The Seehundstation Nationalpark-Haus stands in Norddeich, a district of Norden in Lower Saxony, on the edge of the Wadden Sea National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only state-recognised seal rehabilitation centre in the region. Each year it cares for between eighty and one hundred and eighty orphaned harbour seals and grey seals before releasing them back into the North Sea, often from the Othelloplate on Norderney’s eastern shore. The station also monitors the entire Lower Saxon Wadden Sea, ensuring protection for the seals’ habitat. Over one hundred volunteers, mainly local wardens and island staff, assist the thirty-three permanent employees including seven animal keepers and two veterinarians. The station’s work goes beyond rescue and release. It collects scientific data on seals and their environment through post-mortem examinations and ongoing research projects. Findings are shared with national and international partners, including other seal stations and research institutes. Public education is a major focus: more than 250 000 visitors a year learn about seal conservation through exhibitions, talks, seminars and interactive displays. Every two years the station publishes a detailed report and regularly issues books and leaflets to spread knowledge. Visitors enter the modern Nationalpark-Haus to find a large interactive exhibition on current research, opened in 2018 by the environment minister. Nearby, the former coastal radio station houses a quarantine unit for sick or injured seals. A separate hall displays whale exhibits, including the 2006 ‘Waloseum’. Another gallery focuses on coastal birds, opened in 2007, and the latest exhibition, ‘Whales of the World’, opened in 2019. Outside, paths lead past the Schwanenteich pond where the first seal was rescued in 1971. The site combines care for wildlife with clear information for every visitor.