Rescued seal pups Porridge and Waffle released back into the wild at Tynemouth

After more than three months in seal hospital two pups have been released back into the wild.

Porridge and Waffle were cared for by the team of volunteers at Tynemouth Aquarium.

The pair have spent time recovering from injury and illness and are now well enough to return to their natural habitat.

Porridge was rescued from Beadnell in Northumberland in November. She was found with a large number of bite marks, which volunteers believed must have been from a larger male seal.

Porridge was joined shortly after by Waffle. She was rescued from Redcar beach. She was taken in as a little-white coat that staff believe was abandoned by her mother.

Tynemouth Aquarium works alongside British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and the RSPCA to rehabilitate seals who have washed up along the Tyne and Wear coastline.

The centre now has a purpose-built Seal Hospital where teams can provide treatment for sick, injured and abandoned seal pups. Since opening 10 years ago the facility has rescued and nursed back to health more than 200 seals, before releasing them back into the wild.

Porridge and Waffle have been fitted with tags, to allow volunteers from the Seal Hospital to track the pups out in the wild and follow their progress. The little device also helps volunteers monitor them for any potential infections.

It allows teams to keep record of where the seals have been spotted.

During their time at the Aquarium in Tynemouth, Porridge and Waffle had to be rehabilitated on simple tasks such as how to eat and swim.

Volunteers kept the public updated with their progress on the Tynemouth Aquarium facebook page.