First seal pup of the season rescued in Guernsey
The GSPCA named their latest rescue 'Roar' because of his angry nature.
A seal pup nicknamed 'Roar' has become the first of the season to be rescued in Guernsey.
The GSPCA rescued the "very poorly grey seal pup" after a fisherman spotted him calling out for his mother near the Castle Cornet breakwater on Saturday 19 October.
George Head of Marine Mammals said: “This is the first pup we’ve been called to help this season and we have named him Roar due to his angry nature.”
“He is only 15 kilograms, very dehydrated, thin, has a possible chest infection and is full of worms. At just 4 weeks of age he should really be three times the weight he is currently.”
During the rescue the seal's mother could not be found, although seal's typically leave their offspring after a month, Roar would have been too underweight to have survived.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said: “He is very poorly and we are caring for him around the clock to stabilise him.”
He added that although they will be able to do this on island, the rehabilitation of pups will need to take place in the UK as they are due to knock down their wildlife hospital soon to replace it with a new one.
The charity has released 41 seals back into local waters over the last 12 years.
What to do if you find a seal pup:
If you find a seal pup that looks fit and healthy and shows no signs of distress, the GSPCA recommends monitoring it from a safe distance for 24 hours.
Do not touch the seal. They can bite.
To avoid distressing the pup keep dogs away from beaches with seals on them.
Seal pups which appear sick, thin or injured should be reported to the GSPCA on 01481 257261.
Over the last 10 years, the GSPCA has helped release more than 32 grey seal pups back into the wild.
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