Sealpupsaved aftergetting caughtonrocks
A THREE-WEEK old seal pup which became caught between the rocks at Kilmichael Point was rescued and returned to the sea and its parent following the combined efforts of members of the public and Seal Rescue Ireland in Courtown.
Donal Power, a keen wildlife photographer from Arklow, spotted the pup in distress and bleeding in October 10 and caught the rescue operation on camera.
‘ It was early Thursday morning out at Kilmichael when I noticed a young pup seal on a rocky crevice below me and was some distance from the sea. It was motionless and seemed to be in some sort of trouble. A little while before that I noticed its parents going up and down the cost and calling out as though they were searching for it. I climbed down the embankment to assess the situation and when I approached it I observed it was shivering and wedged in a crevice on its back.
‘ When it sensed my presence it made several desperate attempts to right itself but kept slipping back into its original position. I also noticed it had an abrasive shoulder wound which left a trail of blood on the rocks,’ Donal explained.
At this point, Donal thought it best to alert the seal sanctuary and to get the experts involved, in the hope that the baby seal could be saved.
With the assistance of local residents, Ms Joy Kirwan and Ms Hope, Donal was able to locate a number for the sanctuary and report the incident.
Ivor Hemingway from the sanctuary attended the scene and soon, had the creature in safe hands.
‘ Ivor did all the necessary work covering the feisty little seal with blankets and setting him back up in a proper position, facing the sea which was calm enough for the seal to enter. We notified the other people involved and everyone shared in the joy of the rescue’ Donal said.