Rescued seal pups ready to return to the wild

Three rescued grey seal pups are almost ready to return to the wild after being cared for by a charity.

Frosty, Glacier and Avalanche have more than doubled their body weight, grown stronger and developed "excellent swimming abilities" during their rehabilitation with the Guernsey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA).

The GSPCA said the animals had been cared for in its temporary seal pool, while fundraising continued for its new wildlife hospital.

Four other rescue pups, Blizzard, Ice Ice Baby, Iceberg and Icicle, were still going through rehabilitation, it said.

It comes during a busy start to the year for the charity which rescued six seals in four weeks in January.

Blizzard was the first seal rescued this season and was still learning feeding skills, the charity said.

Ice Ice Baby, the most recent arrival, was found with fishing net tightly around his neck.

His wound was healing and he has been allowed into the charity's small "first stage pool", the GSPCA said.

Iceberg Lettuce and Icicle were still gaining weight, it said.

Geoff George, head of marine mammals, said he would look at moving more seals into the larger pool to give them more space once Frosty, Glacier, and Avalanche were released.

He said: "Frosty, Glacier and Avalanche have done incredibly well and are now at the point where they are strong, confident, and ready to make their return to the wild.

"Each has more than doubled their weight since rescue, which is exactly what we want to see before release."

Steve Byrne, GSPCA manager, said the work George had done with the seven seal pups has been "nothing short of outstanding".

"Each season is demanding, but Geoff's dedication, expertise, and compassion ensure every seal gets the very best chance of returning to the wild healthy and strong," he said.

Byrne said the charity was halfway through the build of a new wildlife hospital and it was "pushing hard to raise the remaining funds" for the work.

He said the seal pup season was nearly over but recent stormy weather meant there may well be other seals needing help.

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