LOST PUP 100Os OF MILES FROM HOME
Little Hispi found all alone a long way from Arctic waters
A LONELY baby seal that appeared in Scottish waters is thousands of miles from his natural home in the Arctic.
Hispi, a male ringed seal, is believed to be no more than two months old and was first spotted at Cove Bay Harbour near Aberdeen on August 27.
There was no sign of his mum and the Scottish SPCA were alerted by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
Hispi had scrapes on his back and seemed lethargic.
He was mistaken for a common seal pup until he arrived at the SSPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre.
Ringed seals are much smaller than common seals, which is why he was misidentified at first.
Wildlife assistant Sian Belcher, said: “We were very surprised to have a ringed seal arrive in our care as they are found in Arctic waters and can venture as far south as Greenland or Norway.
“It’s very unusual that he was found in the Aberdeen area. As he is so young, probably only around six to eight weeks old, we think his mum may have been searching for food and it brought her to the north of Scotland.
“She must have then given birth to this wee pup who has now found himself in our care.
“It’s unlikely that she ventured south due to warmer seas caused by global warming as ringed seals need colder water, not warmer.
“There have only been 12-30 sightings of ringed seals in the UK over the last 100 years.
“We decided to call him Hispi. He wasn’t too underweight when he arrived but is eating well and putting on some weight.”
Hispi is expected to stay until next month and the SSPCA hope to release him further north so he can find his way to his natural home.