Tyulen Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center

Located in the coastal village of Tavrichanka, near Vladivostok, the “Tyulen” Center (Реабилитационный центр морских млекопитающих „Тюлень“) is Russia’s only dedicated rehabilitation facility for spotted seals (Phoca largha). Operating since 2007 as an autonomous non-profit organization, the center provides world-class care for orphaned and injured seal pups from the Sea of Japan, relying on private donations and expertise gained from international centers in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the US.

The facility includes outdoor enclosures with swimming pools for physical recovery, quarantine and diagnostic areas for disease screening and treatment, and adaptation zones where seals learn to hunt live fish and avoid human imprinting.

The center was founded by artist-turned-marine-mammal-specialist Laura Beloivan and her husband, veterinarian Pavel Chopenko, after they found their first orphaned seal pup on the coast. Their team follows strict protocols to ensure seals remain wild and are released only when fully recovered and self-sufficient.

With support from the Russian Fishery Company, the Tyulen Center is developing a new, expanded facility to increase capacity and improve care standards. It also conducts field research to monitor wild seal populations using drones, camera traps, and tagging programs. “Tyulen” Center plays a vital role in protecting Russia’s eastern seal populations, which face growing threats from climate change, fishing nets, pollution, and habitat degradation.