Premature seal pup rescued after being found washed up on beach

A premature seal pup has been rescued after being discovered washed up on a beach in Inellan.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue were called to the shore on Tuesday after the underweight pup was found alone.

A medic visited the area and found that the harbour seal, believed to be less than a day old, had a premature appearance and weighed only 7kg.

The charity decided to uplift the seal after the mum failed to return, and no other seals were seen nearby.

The pup was taken to the SSPCA National Wildlife Centre for specialist rehabilitation, where it is currently receiving round-the-clock care, including feeds every two hours.

Now named Bug, she is said to be showing positive signs and has gained 300g overnight.

Seal pup Bug is being looked after by the SSPCA SSPCA

A spokesperson for BDMLR said: “A medic attended and monitored the pup, giving the mother every opportunity to return. Unfortunately, no seal was seen nearby, which was assessed to be less than a day old and had begun approaching people.

“While seal pups are often left alone while their mothers feed, this wasn’t the case for this pup, and with her premature appearance, weighing only 7kg, intervention was necessary.

“The pup was carefully uplifted and relayed through our medic network to the SSPCA National Wildlife Centre for specialist rehabilitation.”