Meet Maverick: first seal pup rescued in Guernsey in 2022

The first seal pup of the year has been rescued in Guernsey at Les Pecqueries Bay.

Maverick, who is described as being "very poorly and thin" is currently in intensive care - separate to the six other seals being looked after by the animal charity.

Geoff George GSPCA Head of Marine Mammals said “At only 14kg it should be well over 40kg for its young age and is very chest.”

“We have named the pup Maverick and despite being unwell and extremely thin it is very feisty.

In the last ten years the shelter have helped 18 grey seal pups back to the wild and with Maverick they now have seven in their care.

The other seal pups are Sizzle, Luna C, Jagho Herman and Blueberry from Guernsey and Aurora and Eliza from Jersey. They are all said to be doing well.

“Some are looking so well we are hoping to release them in the next week or so all being well with their progress and the weather.”

Steve Byrne GSPCA manager said:

“Its been a really busy seal season and now have seven in our care which means we are going through a huge amount of fish and proves the need for a new Wildlife Hospital.”

“The new very poorly pup Maverick has already taken some fish from Geoff but we are concerned it might have a lung infection.”

“We thought we were at the end of the seal pup season in the Channel Islands and hopefully with the nice weather we are hopeful are services won’t be needed to rescue any others until the next season.”

Advice if someone finds a sick seal pup

•  Do not touch the seal. They can give a nasty bite, which will become infected by bacteria that live in a seal’s mouths.

• Do not allow dogs or other animals to harass a seal.

• If a seal is scared back into the water, it could then be washed out to sea by strong currents and be lost.

• You should not put a seal pup back in the sea as it may get into difficulty.

• If a Seal pup is sick, thin or injured then we would ask you to contact the GSPCA immediately on 01481 257261 day or night

When reporting an injured, sick or abandoned seal to the GSPCA, please make sure you are able to supply the following information:

• Exact location

• Position on the beach, and state of the tide

• How long you have observed the pup; any disturbance/risk to it/whether the mother has been seen

• Any wounds or obvious signs of illness

• Length/colour/condition

It comes after a Jersey beach was closed over the weekend for a second time to allow a seal to shed its fur in peace.