A seal pup is recovering after a suspected dog attack on a North Wales beach.
The dehydrated and underweight male pup was found by a member of British Divers Marine Life Rescue on Friday (24 September) with several puncture wounds on his back, thought to be consistent with a dog attack.
The pup, who has been nicknamed Twister, was initially taken to Anglesey Sea Zoo where he was treated and fed, before being transferred to Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre.
The incident has led the RSPCA to reiterate its warning to dog owners to keep their pets away from pups.
Lee Stewart, manager at Stapeley Grange, said: “Dog walkers should always be vigilant if they walk their dogs near seal hotspots on the Wales coast, especially at this time of year during pupping season.
"Considering his ordeal, Twister is doing well and he’s pretty lively, which is a good sign.
"We are tube feeding him initially, and he’ll then move on to herring soup before we start giving him whole fish.
"He’ll be with us for around three or months as he only weighs 14.5kg and he will need to get to around 40kg before he is released back into the wild.”
Twister will spend the next few weeks in isolation and, once feeding for himself, will head out to one of Stapeley’s outside pools with other orphaned seal pups.
He will spend the final weeks of his rehabilitation at Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay, which has larger pools, before he is returned to the wild.
At this time of the year, grey seal cows (females) are very susceptible to disturbance when they are with their offspring on beaches. If they are disturbed, they are likely to move away from the pup into the sea and may not return to feed it.
Ideally, lone seal pups looking fit and healthy should be monitored from a safe distance for 24 hours. If a seal pup is injured or in distress, the mother hasn’t returned after 24 hours, or is on a busy public beach, the RSPCA’s emergency line should be contacted (0300 1234 999).
It is normal for seals to go out onto beaches to rest, and they will go back into the sea when they are ready. It’s very important to keep your distance - do not try and move the animal back into the water. Seals can give a nasty bite, so please keep children, dogs and other animals away from them.