Hunstanton SEA LIFE team received a telephone call on the 19th of May 2024 from a member of the public about a seal pup on the beach at Wells. The caller was concerned about the pup and wanted the experts to check.
Members of the Animal Care Team went to investigate and found a premature common seal pup on the beach. It was decided to bring her in to the seal hospital because her mum was no-where to be found and the pup was much too young to fend for herself.
This pup was born prematurely, less than 48 hours old when rescued with umbilicus still attached and she still had her white coat. Grey Seals still have their white fur when they are born in the winter months, but Common Seal Pups would normally have shed their white fur before they are born.
The Aquarists are closely monitoring the pup, being born so prematurely Sage´s chances of survival were very slim when she was rescued.
It´s incredibly sad to think that she might not have made it if she had gone undiscovered. On arrival at the seal rescue hospital, a full assessment was carried out, she was found to be both underweight and malnourished which was very concerning for the team, the young pup was given electrolytes to rehydrate her.
The team have been feeding her a special blend of fish soup since then, which contains all the nutrients she needs to build her health back up, they are coming to the centre to feed her every three hours throughout the night.
This season´s theme is "Botanicals" and the team have called this common seal pup "Sage".
Turn up the volume on your phone, laptop, etc., to watch and listen to this cute pup!...So Cute!
Update - 28th May 2024 : Sage is doing amazingly - the team are so proud of her! She is only just now starting to shed her lanugo bless her! Sage is loves shouting too...haha, she is very vocal! These photos below were taken on 27th of May 2024.
Update - 6th September 2024 : Sage, along with other rescued seal pups, Lily and Snowdrop, spent June, July and August in the hospital.
At the beginning of September it was time for these common seal pups to moved outside for the final part of their rehabilitation journey! Now they are in the outside pool, this means they are on the road to recovery and mixing with other seal pups, also has a deeper pool to swim in. Pups in the recovery pool will be learning how to behave in the wild, interacting with other seals and also competing for their fish, which are all vital skills they will need when they are released back out into the wild.
Watch as they explore their new home for the next couple of months!
Each pup can cost up to £5,000 to rescue, rehabilitate and release, if you would like to sponsor the seal pups during their rehabilitation at Hunstanton SEA LIFE, please Click here for more details.
