Rare seal pup being cared for by Cornish Seal Sanctuary

A rare seal pup is being cared for by the team at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.

The female grey pup was found malnourished with a suspected infection but also a very unusual coat.

The seal pup, now named Egg, was born with melanism, an increased development of the dark-coloured pigment melanin in the skin or hair.

It affects one in 400 pups - but the fact she is a female makes it much rarer.

Egg is recovering well at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary’s hospital and slowly gaining weight.

Despite three lockdowns and nearly a year of the coronavirus pandemic, rehabilitation work at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary has carried on as normal.

Since the start of this season, the sanctuary has had 36 casualties go through its rehabilitation programme, 16 of them have now been released back into the wild.

Of these pups, the youngest has been just two days old.

Also since the start of the season, more than 4,300 hours have been spent rehabbing pups and more than £8,000 has been spent on fish to feed the animals.

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