Mystery of seal pups turning up in strange places

Charity believes stormy seas may be separating babies from their mothers.

By Lori Reid
Published: 16/02/2009

Seal pups are at the centre of a mystery in Scotland after the mammals have been spotted in a number of strange places.

One incident, at Montrose, left a herd of cows baffled after a pup wandered into their field.

After being alerted by a member of the public, the Scottish SPCA rescued the pup, who they named Ard.

Colin Seddon, from the charity’s wildlife rescue centre in Dunfermline, said: “I really don’t know who was more bemused, the seal or the cows.

“Ard certainly caused a stir and I think they thought their visitor was a particularly strange-looking calf.”

The pup is now on the road to recovery and will be released into the wild in a couple of weeks.

Last month a 10-week-old pup narrowly escaped death at Kinlochleven, in Lochaber, after making its way up a 12ft embankment then attempting to cross a main road.

In Argyll a lost pup was found on the green of a golf course and in Fife, a six-week-old seal was found in the grounds of Carnegie College, Dunfermline.

The Scottish SPCA believes the unusually stormy seas may be separating pups from their mothers, leaving them to wander on to dry land in an attempt to be reunited.

In East Lothian shocked shoppers spotted another pup making its way along a pavement of the High Street in Cockenzie.

A woman it home in her car and placed it in a bath until the authorities arrived.

Ben Supple, a spokesman for the Scottish SPCA, said they were finding the animals in more and more outlandish places.

He said: “First of all we thought it was a one-off, but seal pups keep turning up in bizarre locations. Although these incidents may initially sound amusing we want to use them to get a very serious message across.

“People should leave seals alone and not attempt to move them unless they are in danger.”

The Scottish SPCA rescue hotline is 03000 999 999.

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