Seal Pup rescued from North East home

A seal pup’s been rescued from a North East home.

Scottish SPCA officers were called to Fraserburgh on Tuesday, where the grey seal was inside a house. It’s the first pup rescued by the charity this season, and it’s now being cared for at the Fishcross centre.

Centre Manager Colin Seddon said, “It’s very unusual that we’ve not had any grey seal pups come into care this year until now. Usually we start receiving calls about injured or distressed seal pups in October.

“Every year we can expect to care for over 100 grey seal pups of various ages. This year our first seal is called Snow White, and any seals that come in from this point on will carry Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks names too.

“Snow White seems quite bright and healthy, with a few minor injuries including a slight infection to her mouth. She’s around 4 -5 weeks old and has moulted, but is quite underweight at only 11.9kg.

“When she arrived at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross she was dehydrated and her temperature was a little low. We’ll make sure she gets plenty of hydration before starting her on some fish soup, before moving on to solids.”

Colin continued, “Seal pups can be quite dangerous animals and we wouldn’t advise people to get too close. They carry a number of pathogens that can result in seal finger, salmonella and more.

“Anyone concerned about a seal pup, including any who appear injured, are found on public beaches or are spotted in unusual places such as non-breeding areas, should give us a call before approaching them.

“We are often contacted about seal pups that are healthy but have been abandoned by their mothers because someone has disturbed them.”

Anyone who discovers an injured or distressed wild animal should call the Scottish SPCA animal helpline on 03000 999 999.