Tynemouth Aquarium is now host to two rescued seals from the North Yorkshire coast by the RSPCA.
The first to be rescued was a six-week old male grey seal named Chester. He was underweight and had swelling to his mouth caused by an infection.
The second was a female named Sinead didn’t get quite as far out of the water. She was found by the old swimming pool on Longsands with similar injuries to Chester.
The pair are being looked after by our dedicated team at the Rescue Centre. They will nurture them back to full health before releasing them back into the wild.
Displays Supervisor, Terry McKeone spoke about the variety of reasons seal pups will need rescuing.
He said: “Throughout the year we see a number of seals in our Marine Rescue Centre, for many different reasons.
Some come in with injuries caused by bite from other seals and dogs. Others have been abandoned by their mothers at a young age and cannot fend for themselves.”
While the two seals are in residence at the aquarium, we are hoping to help educate visitors about what impact they can have on seals. You can see the pair at the aquarium’s Marine Rescue Centre and learn about what you can do to help the seal population.
Both seals are feeding well and recovering from their injuries, and it is hoped that they will be released back into the wild in the coming weeks.
Tynemouth’s Blue Reef Aquarium in partnership with the animal charity Pawz For Thought and the RSPCA. The latter have been rescuing and rehabilitating seals for over 10 years, during this period, over 200 Seals have been rescued.