RSPCA officers in the North East have been busy dealing with seal pups who have washed up on the shoreline after becoming separated from their mothers during Storm Arwen.
The animal welfare charity has dealt with a number of calls from concerned members of the public after pups had been spotted without their mums which is believed to have been due to the recent bad weather.
Animal Rescue Officer Ruth Thomas-Coxon and Inspector Steph Baines were sent to rescue a seal pup which had become trapped between two rocks on a beach near Newburn Bridge in Coronation Drive, Hartlepool, on Tuesday, December 7.
Ruth said: “He was certainly caught between a rock and a hard place with his flippers so he couldn't get out.
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“There was no sign of his mum so we safely eased him out and because he looked thin and had some cuts on his tail I took him to a nearby vets for treatment.”
The seal was found to have a temperature and was given anti-inflammatory medication and antibiotics but there were concerns that he was underweight.
The young seal was then transported to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, in Nantwich, Cheshire, where he has been named Jumanji.
All seals at the centre are being named after board games this season and Jumanji is now feeding well and once he has recovered he will be returned to the wild.
The seal is just one of thousands of animals coming into RSPCA care this festive season, as frontline rescue teams at the charity continue to work in all weathers, 365 days a year. Last year, the charity received one call about a distressed animal every minute, which is why it has launched its Christmas appeal Join the Christmas Rescue.
At the weekend animal rescue officer Shane Lynn was also called to help a seal pup which had washed up on a beach in Seaham. He was monitored and as no mum was spotted for 24 hours Shane went to check on the youngster.
The grey pup was found to have an eye condition and Shane transported him to a nearby vets where he is continuing to receive treatment.
The day before Shane was called to a young pup which appeared alone on the shore at Seaton Carew. This pup appeared in good health so Shane left him in the hope his mum would return - when he checked hours later the seal had gone.
He said: “A lot of young seals are getting washed up on the coastlines which are too young to be away from their mums and we think this is due to the recent bad weather.
“We are getting calls to check on young seals and in some cases their mums are probably in the sea feeding and will be coming back for them but in two recent cases the pups needed veterinary attention and one needed further care at a wildlife centre.”
In the case of Jumanji - when the pup needs further RSPCA care - the road to recovery can be as long as five months, which is costly as the centres rely entirely on public donations.
Lee Stewart, centre manager at Stapeley Grange, said: “The path of rehabilitation following the initial oral rehydration solution involves progressing them on to a fish soup, which is a liquidised herring and oral rehydration solution via a stomach tube.
“The next phase is trying to force feed them the actual herring - in which staff assist - and from this they will move on to feeding by themselves. They are moved into one of the pools to mix with one other seal so they have less human contact to ensure they do not imprint on their human carers.
“Finally, they move into a deep pool with more seals so they can improve their fitness and ability to compete for fish. Once they reach their ideal weight and are fit and healthy they are released back to the wild.
“We see a lot of seals this time of year as well as lots of other wildlife who desperately need our help, which is why we have launched our Christmas appeal Join the Christmas rescue, to help us continue to care for all the animals who need us most this festive season.”
The RSPCA has to be there for all kinds of animals who need help, including wildlife. It will cost £3,750 to feed the animals at one of their wildlife centres this December. They rely entirely on donations to keep wildlife centres open so they are calling on animal lovers to Join the Christmas.
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