Seal pup casualties still being found

A wildlife centre in King's Lynn already full to the brim with seal pups orphaned by a tidal surge in Norfolk is continuing to be under pressure with more casualties coming in.

The RSPCA’s East Winch centre had 108 seal pups in its care after a tidal surge in December – more than it had ever dealt with at any one time in its 25 year history. As they were so young and reliant on a mother’s care, they needed hand feeding at regular intervals and round-the-clock supervision in order to survive.

Nearly two months on, the centre is still far from out of the woods with 93 in. Many of the pups are still in need of intensive care and hand feeding, and a steady trickle of poorly youngsters continue to be brought to the centre in need of care.

There are still 44 seal pups in the isolation unit – in need of a lot of care including being tube fed with medicine and fish soup every four hours; or hand fed fed. There are 18 who have progressed to the intermediate pools, which means they are eating by themselves and gaining weight. The others are in the outside pools doing well, but many are still too small and underweight to be released back to the wild.

It could take another three months until these seals are ready to be released back to the wild again.

A crisis appeal launched to help the seals in December received a fantastic response. Many of the practical donations have been sent in – from liquidisers to dog bowls to measuring jugs.

However, with the cost of feeding each of the 91 seals estimated at £22 a week, and each animal expected to need up to five months of rehabilitation, donations are still very much needed.

Alison added: “People have been incredibly generous and we've been overwhelmed and amazed by the way people have wanted to help. The seals’ plight has obviously touched a lot of people’s hearts.

“We’re a long way from being out of the woods yet though with this one. The care will need to continue for many months more before any seals are released back into the wild, and any donations will be very gratefully received. Perhaps a few volunteer masseurs wouldn’t go amiss to help with all the staff’s aching bones!"

The RSPCA can only care for animals like this with the help of donations. If you want to help the seals continue their rehabilitation journey click here.

The centre is also appealing for a number of practical items used by centre staff to rehabilitate the seal pups. These include:

• Sachets of Lectade (large animal)

• Pestle and mortar

• Deck scrub brushes (Salmon make)

• An industrial dishwasher

• Squeegees

• Vileda sponge mops X2

• Large Vari kennels

• Milk, tea, coffee and sugar to keep the staff and volunteers going

The centre does not need any more towels following a successful recent appeal.