Cornish Seal Sanctuary rescues stranded pup 'Maggot' marking early start to season

A seal pup has been rescued from a busy beach in Cornwall, marking an early start to the rescue season.

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary said the pup, named 'Maggot', was rescued after being separated from her mother on Porthtowan beach.

Megan Ray, animal care supervisor at sanctuary, said Maggot is the first seal to arrive at the sanctuary. "It means the pupping season has started two weeks earlier than it would normally," she said.

Megan said Maggot was found on a busy stretch of beach, right in the middle of the school holidays, which meant that she needed to be brought in.

Megan said it was "a very busy beach, on a very busy day".

Grey seal pups are born with a white coat and rely on their mother for milk and protection.

Megan said: "Mum will go off and feed, and leave the pup on the beach and come back to them and give them her milk.

"Unfortunately Maggot was left in a very inappropriate place for a seal pup.

"Mum just wouldn't come back to her in that scenario."

Due to her age, Maggot was underweight when she came to the sanctuary.

"It's really difficult for us to get pups in at that really young age, it's a really critical time for them.

"She was so young she still had her umbilicus attached, that's when infection can track up that way - that's what we're really worried about.

"They should still be feeding off mum having that milk."

Megan admitted rehab settings like this can't replicate the milk Maggot would have been getting from mum, which helps her put weight on quickly.

"It's been a slower progress of weight gain. But she is doing well, she's learnt to eat fish for herself. She has lost that white fluffy coat and she looks like a proper little seal now.

"We're hoping that her rehabilitation isn't going to be a long one. It's looking at least sort of two months."

As for the interesting name, every year the sanctuary has a naming convention and this year's theme is bugs and mini-beasts.