Seals - Jamie

Staff at the RSPCA wildlife centre in Nantwich are battling to care for a growing number of young seals.

There are currently 10 seal pups at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, on London Road.

They have been admitted after becoming stranded on beaches and separated from their mums due to high winds.

It is the largest number of seals the centre has had at any one time.​

Members of staff at the centre have named the seals after characters from Game of Thrones, apart from one who has been named Biel.

They are being fed a diet of fish soup at least three times a day to help them gain weight.

It is hoped all seals will be released back into the wild.

However it can take many months – sometimes as many as five – before they are well enough to be released.

Seals - Ned and Cersei
Seals – Ned and Cersei

Lee Stewart, manager at Stapeley Grange, said: “When seal pups arrive they are unable to feed for themselves and have to be tube-fed.

“The 10 seal pups in our care were all initially tube-fed a ‘rehydrate’ solution and then later moved across to their liquidised fish soup.

“After some time in care we will then try them on whole fish which can be quite a time-consuming process.

“They are initially tube-fed until they work out what they need to do.

“Once they are taking fish it’s then plain sailing with regards their care, as soon after they will be taking fish by themselves.

“We always worry for young seal pups at this time of year when the weather is bad because they are so vulnerable and can become separated from their mothers, as has happened with most of our seals.

“The storms cause real problems for the seal colonies.”

The 10 seals are Jamie, a orphaned grey seal pup found in Newquay, Powys; Biel, a common seal pup found in Southport; Jon Snow, a grey seal pup found in Llandudno; Drogo, Ramsey, Hodor and Bran, grey seal pups found in Gwynedd; Daenerys, a grey seal pup found in Dyfed, Powys; Ned and Cersei, two grey seal pups who lost their mum in Pembrokeshire.

The RSPCA advises if members of the public spot a seal on a beach that they observe them from a distance and do not approach them.

Seals are wild animals and have a nasty bite. It is also advised they keep dogs on leads on beaches that have seal colonies too.​

If you see a pup whose mother hasn’t returned within 24 hours, is on a busy public beach, or if you think the seal may be sick or injured, call the RSPCA’s 24-hour advice and cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.

There is more information on the RSPCA website about what to do if you see a seal or pup on the beach alone

Seals - Jon Snow

Seals - Danerys

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website, to learn more please read our privacy policy.

*

Captcha * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.