Rowan Gallagher
SNOWY and Cecil, two whitecoat pups who were rescued in October from the Erris Peninsula, were released in Blacksod Point last Tuesday, January 18.
These pups were washed up after heavy storms struck the peninsula during the grey seal pupping season. Local people reported the find to the Irish Seal Sanctuary (ISS) who found 12 baby seals on the beach. Six of the defenceless animals were saved and now two of the family have been released. After a three month stint at the Irish Seal Sanctuary’s Rehabilitation Centre in Courtown Harbour, Wexford, these pups were fit and fat and ready to head back to their birthplace in Blacksod.
“They were 12 of them at the start and a number of them died. We rescued six of them - they were only around 12 kilos when we first got them they are about 50 kilos now. Big and fat!
“There are two left here now that will be returned soon to the wild. They have to have a weight of about 40 to 50 kilos. Originally the seals are born on the beach and the mothers eventually wean them off and they have to fend for themselves so it’s not actually that much of a difference them being reared by us when they are young,” a spokesperson for the ISS told The Mayo News.
“Last year we rescued 60 seals - we get hundreds of calls from concerned people all the time. A lot of these seals don’t need rescuing and we try to leave them in nature as much as possible.
“We have 15 here in Wexford at the moment and we are a non profit charity. Now we tag the seals and Snowy and Cecil are really at the forefront of that. If any tourists see a seal with a tag we are asking them to take a picture or call us so we know where the released seals are and that they are okay. We ask anyone who sees seals in trouble to contact us.
“We want to say a big thank you to all in the community who helped with the rescue of the whitecoat pups from the local beaches.”
The Irish Seal Sanctuary urge anyone who sees seals in distress to contact them on 053 9424980.
