This is the heartwarming moment an injured seal pup was returned to the water after being rescued and nursed back to health.
The mammal was spotted in distress on steps at Liverpool’s Albert Dock on Wednesday, November 4.
When he was still there later that same evening, a wildlife volunteer went to help the pup, which was found to have minor wounds to his flippers and under his chin thought to have been sustained after hitting rocks.
The seal was taken to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Nantwich, Cheshire, where vets named him Swede and treated his injuries before placing him in an outdoor pool to socialise with other seals to get him ready for his return to the wild.
RSPCA animal rescuers Joanne McDonald and Caren Goodman James took the seal pup back to the area he was found and released him into the River Mersey last Thursday, November 19.
Manager Lee Stewart said: ‘Swede came to us with flipper injuries and injury to his chin which suggests he may have hit some rocks.
‘He was treated by our vets and then we cared for him for a fortnight until he was ready to be returned to the wild.
‘We have 10 seals at the centre currently and as you can imagine they take a lot of feeding and some stay with us for three to four months.
‘They will each get through about 3kg of mackerel or herring every day which will cost the centre hundreds of pounds every week, but it is important to build their weight up before they are returned to the wild.
‘It is hard work rehabilitating seals but it is so rewarding when they are released back into the wild after they have been rehabilitated.’
Joanne added: ‘The crate was quite heavy as Swede is a big seal but between us we managed to get him to the water’s edge and with a bit of encouragement he was back in his home environment.
‘Quite a crowd had gathered to watch and it was a really nice sight to see him happily swim away.’
The RSPCA advises that members of the public do not to approach any seals they see as the wild mammals can have a nasty bite.
The charity says it is currently caring for over 70 seals in its four wildlife centres and, as a result, has very limited capacity for other seals.
Therefore, it is advised that they are monitored from a safe distance for a period of 24 hours to see if its mother returns before any calls are made to the organisation.
In most cases the seal is usually perfectly fine and rescuers would prefer to leave healthy ones in the wild whenever possible.
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