A puffin rescued on the Isle of Man and rehomed in Cornwall has died after a sudden illness.

The bird, named Cliff, was discovered as a weak puffling on Douglas beach in 2022 after being washed up during a storm, according to a spokesperson from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.

Unable to fly and not fully waterproof, he was taken to Curraghs Wildlife Park, where staff and vets nursed him back to health.

Despite his recovery, Cliff could not be released into the wild. By the time he was strong enough, it was too late in the season and he showed little inclination to fly. With no other puffins in rehabilitation at the park, the decision was taken to seek long-term care elsewhere.

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek agreed to take him, and he moved there in December 2023 to live among its group of rescued puffins.

Tamara Cooper, the sanctuary’s curator, said at the time that Cliff was settling in well. She explained: ‘Here Cliff will have the opportunity to thrive in a specially designed environment tailored to his needs. So far, Cliff has taken everything in his stride and is a very cool customer.’

The sanctuary confirmed his death on Friday, September 5.

In a statement it said: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our much-loved puffin, Cliff, who sadly died after a sudden illness. The animal care team at the Sanctuary, alongside the Rosevean veterinarian team, worked tirelessly to give Cliff the best care possible, but unfortunately we lost Cliff to a very sudden and short illness. We are currently awaiting post-mortem results to understand the cause of his illness.’

Cliff was described as having quickly formed bonds with other birds in his new surroundings. The sanctuary said he initially copied another puffin named Karen before becoming more confident and later pairing with Billie, with whom he became inseparable.

The statement continued: ‘His passing has been particularly hard for her, but our animal care team are making sure that she is receiving all the extra love and care she needs.

‘Cliff was certainly one of a kind. He found his favourite preening spot, he found a partner in Billie, and he also found if he was quick enough, he could steal a fish from other puffins and avoid stepping on the scales when the animal care team tried to bribe him on weighing day.

‘We will miss him dearly here at the sanctuary, and we know that you will miss him too. Puffin Island certainly won’t be the same without him.’

Cliff was only young in puffin terms, as the species can live to 20 years or more.

The sanctuary also thanked supporters who had adopted Cliff or visited him during his time in Cornwall.

A spokesperson said: ‘We’d like to thank you all for your continued support and wanted to say a special thank you to all of you who visited Puffin Island, fell in love with him, and decided to adopt him.’