A SEAL pup left orphaned after its mother was shot has taken a big step towards a goal of eventual release back into the wild.

The pup, named Tia, was taken to Scarborough Sea Life Centre and Marine Sanctuary, North Yorkshire, in July by the RSPCA after being discovered trying to suckle from its dead mother on a beach near Bridlington, on the Yorkshire coast.

After six weeks recovering in the sanctuary's seal hospital and small outdoor pool, Tia was yesterday introduced to other rescued pups in a larger communal pool.

The centre's displays supervisor, Paul Bullimore, said: "Tia has progressed better than we could have dared hope.

"Now that she has learnt how to eat whole fish, it is time to move her to a larger pool so that she can get used to competing for food and being around other seals.

"Tia weighs just 20 kilos at the moment, but is on schedule to be released back to the wild later this year, or early next year, but it all depends on how quickly she copes and puts on weight."

Tia joined three pups which were rescued last winter and are waiting to be released into the wild, as well as a large resident male seal called Bruno.