Appeal for fish to feed abandoned seal pup

An animal welfare charity has appealed for people to donate fish to feed an abandoned seal pup on the Isle of Man.

The animal was a few days old when it had to be rescued by the Manx Wildlife Trust on Tuesday night after being spotted on Laxey Beach.

Named Isabella after the village's famous waterwheel, Lady Isabella, the seal being housed in the group's rehabilitation centre.

The trust said taking the malnourished pup in was "a last resort" once staff decided that its mother was not returning to retrieve it from the beach.

The rescue came amid advice from the trust not to disturb beached seals during the ongoing pupping season but instead to contact the charity with any concerns for the animals.

Marine officer Lara Howe said it was important for the public to keep a distance of at least 164ft (50m) from beached seals, as any disturbance or scent from humans could lead to a mother abandoning a pup.

She explained it was normal for grey seals to be "hauled up" on beaches during pupping season, as they were not strong swimmers, and "spend the majority of their time on land until they are fully weaned from the mother".

The charity recovers and houses up to five seals a year depending on weather conditions, and it costs about £40 each week to care for them until they are sufficiently fattened up and weaned to be released into the wild.

Ms Howe said the trust could "never have enough fish" to feed them, with donations taken to its office in Peel.

The charity was grateful for having more than 50 "seal sitter" volunteers, who had been trained to watch over potentially abandoned seals.

The island's marine wildlife includes a population of about 400 seals living around its shores.

Ms Howe said the number of pups had been increasing each year since survey records began, which "suggests that the population is doing well".

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