Pups rescued from Brancaster, Hunstanton and Snettisham enjoying Sea Life's newest visitor attraction
Sea Life Hunstanton’s newest visitor attraction has this week welcomed four adorable seal pups, rescued throughout May and June from local beaches.
The Common Seals, each named after a popular cheese, are basking in the Seal Pup Recovery Pool which opened in Spring.
They have been lovingly cared for in the attraction’s on-site Seal Hospital for the last couple of months since they were rescued individually.
Wensleydale has spent the most time recuperating after being rescued from Brancaster beach back in May when she was thought to have been just 24 hours old and had become separated from her mother.
Applewood and Blue soon followed, rescued from Bacton and Hunstanton. Both were thought to have been just a day old with no sign of mum for either pup.
The last of the group - Camembert - was rescued six weeks ago from Snettisham beach and was estimated at around one week old. She was discovered on mud flaps and was over-heating during one of Norfolk’s hottest summer days.
Thanks to the specialist care received at Sea Life Hunstanton, all four pups have now finished all their medication and treatments and are deemed well enough to move outside to the new recovery pool.
They will spend the next few weeks in the deeper water where they can build up their strength and gain the weight they need to be safely released back into the sea.
The new seal pup recovery pool was added in May due to a significant increase in the number of baby seals that need rescuing along the Norfolk coast.
Sophie Negus, assistant curator of Sea Life Hunstanton, said: "Over recent years, the number of seals needing our help has steadily increased year on year, to the point where our facilities needed to be improved to cope with the larger numbers.
"All of the pups we have rescued so far this year have all been very young, ranging from a few hours old to around a week, weighing approximately 8kg when they first arrived.
"Our first four seals have now finished their care in the seal hospital and it is incredibly rewarding to see them now in their final stage, swimming around in the new pup pool."
Seal pups should be at least 25kg and be confidently feeding for themselves in order for the team to be happy to release them, which will hopefully be in September.
A further two pups - Roquefort and Brie - were rescued just last week and are currently in the seal hospital. However, the hope is that they will soon be splashing around outside.
