 The
seal hospital is at its busiest during the two pupping seasons. Common
seals are born during June and July, and grey seals from September
to December. It is during these months that we receive the majority
of calls from concerned members of the public regarding seal pups.
Seals are rescued from around the whole of the Northern Irish coastline
which means when I come into work in the morning I have to be prepared
to go anywhere to assess the condition of a seal. Not all seal pups
need to be rescued and at certain times of the year, it is perfectly
normal for seals to be alone on the shore. Occasionally a pup may
need monitoring over a period of hours or days. (This also means that
sometimes I spend more time standing on a beach looking at a seal
than I do at home) Only pups that are genuinely orphaned, sick or
injured are brought back to the sanctuary.
When we have rescued seals in the sanctuary,
my first job of the day is to check them and give them their first
feed of the day. Feeding varies from seal to seal depending on which
stage they are at in the rehabilitation programme. Initially when
seal pups are rescued they are fed a mixture of blended herring fillets,
rehydration fluid, salmon oil, vitamins and antibiotics through a
tube directly down into their stomach. After two to three week’s
pups are normally healthy enough to be introduced to solids and are
force-fed whole herring until they can eat by themselves. At this
early stage in the rehabilitation process, seals are fed every three
to four hours including nighttime feeds. Tube feeding and force-feeding
are very hands-on, which means constantly smelling of seal and fish!
As soon as they are weaned, then it is very much hands-off and food
is thrown into the water for them.
As well as needing regular feeds,
many of the pups require medical treatment for illnesses and injuries.
This may mean giving them antibiotics and worming tablets, cleaning
and spraying wounds, and taking their temperature. Our local vet
is always at hand to carry out any specialised treatment.
Other routine jobs include weighing
pups to check on their progress, and cleaning out the seal pens
(like human babies, baby seals go to the toilet frequently and unfortunately,
a seal nappy has not yet been invented!) and ponds. Our outdoor
ponds have a constant supply of fresh seawater from Strangford Lough.
To maintain as natural an environment as possible, the water is
not chemically treated. This means that green algae, which is totally
harmless to the seals, grows on the walls of the pond. Every week
or two the ponds are completely drained and brushed out.
One of the most rewarding
parts of my job is to return a fit and healthy seal back into the
wild. It definitely makes up for nighttime feeds, being bitten and
smelling of fish.
When there are no seals in the sanctuary I help look after the fish
which means I still smell of fish!
Find out more about the work of Exploris at www.exploris.org.u
|
