Five seal pups have been released into the wild by the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, and all of them quickly dashed for the waves once they caught sight of the sea.

Grey seal pups Caiman, Lobster, Mantis Shrimp, Fish and Flamingo were released at Dollar Cove, Gunwalloe.

On the day, the rehabilitation pool was drained, and then each pup was herded into a cage before being transferred to a trailer which was then driven onto the beach to be safely released.

Tamara Cooper, curator at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, said: “It’s always sad to see the last pups go, it’s going to be a little quiet without them, but it’s great to get the final few back where they belong.”

Fish had been with the charity since January 19, when he was rescued from Newlyn Harbour. She was found malnourished on the rocks in the harbour and showed no intention of going back out to sea.

Mantis Shrimp was rescued from Sandy Cove, Newlyn, on Jan 12, and was around three weeks old at the time, and no more than birth weight.

Flamingo was found on January 8, and was rescued from Perranporth. Two days after rescue she was found space in the seal hospital where she received treatment.

Caiman was rescued from Watergate Bay on March 12, and was found to have three loose teeth and an infected jaw.

After the teeth were removed she quickly began feeding herself, and she quickly made progress towards the release weight of 40kg.

Lobster had the trickiest time of it, as after being rescued from Portloe on February 11, she was found to have an ulcerated eye which later had to be removed.

The sanctuary say that a decision such as this is always a last resort, but this procedure has been performed several times and Lobster quickly learned to adapt.

After just four days she was taken off treatment and could move outside, since then she progressed very well and adapted to using her good eye to full advantage.

All five of the seal pups made an excellent recovery during their time at the sanctuary, and each hit the release weight before being set free on June 14.