Pollution behind need to rescue seal

January 2008

THE SEVERE POLLUTION of the Avoca River in Arklow is at crisis point having once again been cited as a huge cause for concern when a seal which was nursed back to health and released to the wild was found for a second time just two days later in a seriously ill state.

The filthy river which is subjected to untreated waste on a daily basis was the site where a malnourished and sickly Patches the Seal was found in December 2 before being rescued by the Irish Seal Sanctuary.

Since Patches was rescued he had made a tremendous recovery thanks to the dedicated volunteers at the Irish Seal Sanctuary and the people of Arklow who first came to his aid.

First discovered in a very ill state, underweight and weak Patches was soon nursed back to full on a diet of herring which eventually saw his weight increase to a level where he broke the scales at the Irish Seal Sanctuary.

Sanctuary Volunteer Jaelean Carrero who has spent the past few months working on a volunteer placement from Florida spoke of how rewarding it felt to have been involved with the Patches story.

‘Patches was found on my birthday so it is a day I will always remember. The first thing I noticed was his sunken eyes which is a real sign that he was very sick.’

Sadly Patches was washed up at the Harbour just 48 hours after his epic release and was immediately rushed transported back to the Irish Seal Sanctuary in Dublin for emergency attention. He will be treated and then later released at a location in Dublin.