A seal pup which ended up in a Cornish garden at the height of the winter storms was successfully released back to the wild yesterday.
Rover was just eight weeks old when storms washed him so far inshore in early February, he ended up in a garden in Portreath, several hundred feet from the nearest beach.
Surprised homeowners John and Val wise found Rover wandering round their lawn.
They alerted coastguards who in turn called The Cornish Seal Sanctuary, who sent an animal care worker to collect the bemused and disorientated pup.
“He was a good healthy weight, but had taken a bit of battering to his lips and chin and had suffered a few cuts and bruises to his flippers from being tossed around by the heavy seas,” said head seal care expert Tamara Cooper.
Rover spent 10 days in the Sanctuary’s indoor hospital and quickly earned a reputation for being one of the feistiest of the winter casualties.
“Staff learned to be extra careful when cleaning up near Rover, as he was completely fearless and apt to try and take a bite out of anyone getting too close,” said Tamara.
“He completed his recovery in our convalescence pool and is now a hefty 30 kilos and healthy enough to return to the wild.”
Rover was released on Monday, June 2 at Gwithian Beach with two of his pool mates Jupiter and Ayla.
He was the first one out of the release trailer and headed into the surf without a backward glance, quickly followed by Ayla.
However Jupiter took a while longer to venture into the waves, where he was met by Ayla who was swimming just off shore.
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