Frisian parties consider €665,000 for seal rescue centre facing bankruptcy

A group of opposition parties in Friesland is considering a proposal to give €665,000 to a seal rescue centre facing bankruptcy, arguing the province should help preserve care for seals found along its stretch of the Wadden Sea.

D66, the Labour Party, GroenLinks and the Socialist Party are among those considering putting forward a concrete proposal next week, during debate on the provincial budget. Their idea is for the province to contribute €1 for each resident, Nieuws.nl reports.

The World Heritage Centre Wadden Sea (WEC), which opened last year in Lauwersoog, in the province of Groningen just beyond Friesland’s border, has been struggling financially. Its board and supervisory board announced three weeks ago that they would have to apply for bankruptcy. Donations from the public, which have reached €1.3 million, have delayed that step for now.

Most seals taken in by the centre come from the Frisian part of the Wadden Sea. Opposition parties in Friesland’s provincial assembly say that gives the province a reason to contribute to keeping the rescue centre operating.