| Keay Activities | 🛟 Rescue • 🏥 Rehabilitation • 🧬 Population Monitoring • 📚 Public Education • 🌱 Conservation • ⚖️ Advocacy • 🧪 Research |
|---|---|
| Location | Microrayon 4, building number 82/2 Aktau, Kazakhstan |
| Seal Hotline | + 7 775 101 1122 |
| Website | https://caspiansealrrc.com/ |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Species | Caspian seal |
| Rehab & Release | ✔ |
| Sanctuary | ✖ |
| Open to Public | ✖ |
| How to Help | Donate • Volunteer |
Founded in 2019 by lawyer and ecologist Aselle Tasmagambetova, the Caspian Seal Research and Rehabilitation Center (CSRRC) in Aktau, Kazakhstan, is the first facility of its kind in the northern Caspian region. It was born out of an expedition to assess water pollution and its devastating effects on the Caspian seal: a unique, ice-breeding species now facing extinction due to climate change, industrial pollution, habitat loss, and illegal hunting.
The center can rehabilitate up to 20 seals at a time, offering veterinary care, diagnostics, and post-release monitoring in partnership with the Central Asian Institute for Ecological Research. Seals are tagged and tracked to study their movements and survival, contributing to a growing body of research on the species’ life cycle and threats.
Beyond rehabilitation, CSRRC is a hub for scientific research, public education, and policy advocacy. It works with the Kazakh government and other Caspian-bordering nations (Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan) to push for protected safe zones, a moratorium on seal hunting, and stronger environmental legislation. The center also hosts seminars and training programs to educate local communities, volunteers, and specialists on seal conservation.
Through international cooperation and cutting-edge science, the Caspian Seal Research and Rehabilitation Center is leading the charge to save one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, and to preserve the fragile ecosystem of the Caspian Sea for generations to come.