"Extremely emaciated" seal pup receiving round-the-clock care

Wednesday 11 November 2020

A severely underweight 10-day-old seal pup is to receive round-the-clock care in Guernsey after it washed up at the Écréhous.

The poorly pup was rescued by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue Jersey after being spotted on Monday.

It was looked after overnight at New Era Vets in Jersey and transported to Guernsey early this morning by boat so it could receive specialist care at the GSPCA. 

Head of Marine Mammals Geoff George collected the pup, who has been named Joey, before taking him to the animal charity's intensive care area.

“Joey is extremely thin, although he is very feisty which is a good sign," said Mr George.

“Joey has taken two fish but will require around the clock care and treatment. He is only 18kgs and is around 10 days old, so extremely emaciated for his age."

GSPCA Manager Steve Byrne said the first few days are the hardest for any new rescue animal.

“Joey is a very lucky young seal pup as being so thin it is very likely he wouldn’t have survived in the wild," he said. “We have been helping Jersey seals for a number of years now and earlier this year helped Andrew back to the wild with Guernsey seal pup Pebbles.”

Pictured: The GSPCA has cared for seals who wash up in Jersey for a number of years, including Andrew, who was himself very thin when he first entered the charity's care. 

“We are in the thick of seal pup season now in the Channel Islands and if you see a seal pup please do not approach it, but do take a picture and send it in and give us a call so we know where they are and assess they are okay.”

“By approaching a seal pup you could scare its mother away and put the pup at risk, so please keep a very safe distance and do not allow your dogs anywhere near them.”

Mr Byrne said the pup will need a lot of treatment and fresh fish to eat and has asked that anyone able to make donations to Joey's care contact the shelter on 01481 257261.