Nation Cymru staff
Two seals rescued on Welsh coastline are among five orphaned seal pups are taking centre stage at RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre after being rescued from locations across the British coast.
The wildlife centre in Nantwich, Cheshire, is on high alert as the grey seal breeding season – which runs through October and November – often sees young pups separated from their mothers before they have been fully weaned. The young mammals need urgent expert care as they are often underweight and dehydrated and sometimes are suffering from wounds and abrasions.
Stapeley Grange staff link up with volunteers British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) who carry out rescues of young seals often from very remote locations with many of the pups transported to the centre by members of the volunteer UK Wildlife Transporters network.
This year the centre is using veteran pop acts as a theme for naming seal pups in their care and Pink, McFly (both pictured) and Abba are the latest arrivals to Stapeley’s isolation unit.
Pink was rescued by volunteers from Llanrhystud beach in Ceredigion, Mid Wales, when it became clear she was orphaned after she had been monitored over a three-day period. Abba, who was found on the River Dee in Cheshire by a member of the public, needed treatment for a small wound to her side.
The most recent arrival, McFly, was brought to safety from Porth-isallt beach on Holy Island, Anglesey.
Caring for seal pups requires specialist facilities and Stapeley is among around a dozen wildlife rescue centres in the UK who are capable of undertaking the rehabilitation of the young animals. The seals initially spend time in the centre’s isolation unit under veterinary supervision before they can be moved to outside pools when they are feeding themselves.
Later on, they can be transferred to deeper pools at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre or RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre to continue their journey back to the sea.
RSPCA Stapeley Grange Manager Lee Stewart said: “The grey seal pupping season is a busy time of year for our staff. Orphaned seals are very vulnerable and require an enormous amount of specialist care.
“We have excellent facilities to help their rehabilitation. They are tube fed to start off and then they move on to a ‘fish soup’ diet before we give them whole fish. They are with us for around three months as typically they only weigh between 10 and 14 kg whereas common seals will need to bulk up to around 30 to 35 kg and grey seals 35 to 40 kg before they can be released back into the wild.
“Once they are feeding for themselves they go to our outside pools and then spend the final few weeks of their rehabilitation at RSPCA East Winch or RSPCA West Hatch, both of which have deeper pools, before being released close to where they were rescued from.”
Tradition has it that Stapeley Grange’s seal pups are given names based around a theme. These latest admissions’ pop names follow a previous pudding theme and they have joined Spotted Dick and Yum Yum (pictured), who were rescued two months ago from locations on the Northumberland coast. Both the older pups received antibiotic treatment for mouth rot – which can be a life-threatening disease – while Spotted Dick was also treated for wounds to a flipper.
While the growth in the seal population has left many rescue centres stretched as higher numbers of pups require help, the RSPCA stresses people should make sure pups actually need help before taking action. A seal pup on a beach by itself is not always a cause for concern, as mothers leave their pups alone for long periods very early on in their lives while they head to sea to feed.
If the pup is fit and healthy and does not look distressed, it is best to monitor them for 24 hours, as pups are sometimes taken to rescue centres by mistake. It’s also important to keep a distance and not try and move the animal back into the water as seals can give a nasty bite, while children, dogs and other animals should be kept well away.
If a seal pup is injured or in distress, or if the mother hasn’t returned after 24 hours, then contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, or the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.
Rescuing seal pups can prove precarious and there are not always happy outcomes. An injured six-week old found collapsed on a beach at Skinburness, near Silloth, Cumbria earlier this month was due to arrive at Stapeley Grange, but their injuries were too severe to save them.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Lucy Osborn and a BDMLR volunteer carried the seal, who was covered in wounds, to the officer’s van. After being seen by a marine vet at a local veterinary practice the pup was taken to the BDMLR’s North East Seal Triage facility in Northumberland. But it was found they had suffered a broken flipper and also had multiple abscesses, so, sadly, it was decided the kindest thing to do was to put them to sleep.
Stapeley Grange staff enjoy hearing of sightings of the animals they have helped and each seal is identified by a tag with all of Stapeley’s seals being given yellow tags, with black numbers starting at 3000.
A seal pup called Sturgeon, who was rescued in Cumbria and rehabilitated at the centre before being released on the North Wales coast in 2020, was spotted with her own newly-born pup (pictured) last weekend (October 17).
Each year RSPCA Stapeley Grange spends around £10,000 on fish to feed its hungry seal pups, so any support is greatly appreciated and donations can be made at the Justgiving page.
There is more advice about what to do if you find a seal pup on the RSPCA’s website.
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