Days old seal pups recovering at East Winch after being rescued on Norfolk coast
Cupcake and Muffin are the first common seal pups of the season to be rescue
RSPCA staff at the East Winch Wildlife Centre say they're caring for their first orphaned seal pups of the season, with two rescued in recent days.
The first pup, dubbed Cupcake, was thought to be just a few days old when he was found weak and underweight at Snettisham.
He weighed just 9.85kg when he was taken to East Winch on June 11.
A second pup, named Muffin, was found at Waxham and was brought to the RSPCA by the Friends of Horsey Seals group.
Evangelos Achilleos, manager at East Winch said: “Cupcake is our first common seal pup this season (at East Winch) and is lucky to have survived and we believe he had been separated from his mum and would have perished without her milk."
“We are doing all we can to make sure he is fully rehabilitated and recovered before being released back into the wild.
“We’ve named him Cupcake as this year’s theme for common seals is Desserts and Sweets.
“He was our first common seal pup at the centre this season and just a few days later Muffin arrived.
"Cupcake and Muffin are currently being fed on a diet of liquidised mackerel. Both seal pups are likely to be with us for a few months - but we will do all we can to rehabilitate them and get them ready to be released back into the wild!
“This is a really busy time for the centre as we are in the heart of the orphan season and so we are caring for all kinds of wildlife, not just seals.
“Last year the centre admitted 194 seals, from them we had 95 common seal pups.
“Currently the centre has 25 seals in, 23 are grey pups which we have rehabilitated during the grey pupping season and they will be released back to the wild in the next couple of months.
“Since March, the centre has released over 45 grey seal pups.”
If you spot a seal pup in trouble, the RSPCA says you should keep your distance and keep dogs and other pets away from it.
You shouldn't attempt to return it to the sea yourself. In an emergency, or if the pup has been around for at least 24 hours, you should call the RSPCA for advice on 0300 1234 999.