Rescued orphan seal pops up in Wales to show off her pup

An orphaned seal rescued from an island in the Irish Sea five years ago has been spotted again - this time with her nine-day-old pup.

The seal, nicknamed Admiral's Ale, was nursed back to health by the RSPCA after being found injured as a pup on Walney Island, Cumbria, in 2016.

She was spotted with her newborn pup, named Gwener, on a beach in north Wales on Sunday.

Wildlife experts recognised her from an orange tag on her right flipper.

Evangelos Achilleos, manager at the RSPCA's East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk, said the sighting of the pair emphasises the impact of the charity's rehabilitation work.

"When orphan seal pups are admitted to us, the staff at our wildlife centres work relentlessly, feeding them from 8am to 11pm daily, which is extremely labour intensive," he said.

"Our dedicated and knowledgeable wildlife assistants, vets and volunteers work so hard to get animals fully fit and back to the wild for release where they're meant to be.

"Five years on, and Admiral has thrived in nature and gone on to breed. Her and Gwener are the ultimate success story and the reason we all do what we do."

He added that although it was "heart-warming to see the pictures" at the weekend, the seals needed to be left alone, particularly during pupping season.