Advertisement

Swedish zoo fights to save stranded seal pup

TT/The Local/kh
TT/The Local/kh - [email protected]
Swedish zoo fights to save stranded seal pup

An angry seal pup was found in very poor condition on the shores near a marina in Österåker, an island community about 30 kilometres north of Stockholm.

Advertisement

Now, the pup’s personal ICU is a bathtub as it continues to fight to live.

A passer-by discovered the seal pup while out walking Saturday morning.

The pup was mad and hissed as a police patrol was called to the scene.

In the end, the young seal was escorted to Skansen with staff member Linda Askelund, who is responsible for animal care.

“It was totally dehydrated and had a nasty wound on its nose,” she told the TT news agency.

“Now, he has been pumped with fluids and given antibiotics and painkillers. I also have force-fed him with fish, but the key is to get liquids in him so that he survives.”

The 4-week-old seal currently resides in the bathtub of Askelund’s home in order to receive around the clock care.

It is unclear what happened to the little seal.

An old injury, it was likely caused by an attack from a large seal or other animal.

Seal pups normally nurse until they are 3-weeks-old, at which point their mothers abandon them because they have a thick layer of body fat for warmth and are capable of learning to fish on their own.

According to the wildlife emergency group, Viltjouren, it is quite common to find seal pups in Sweden.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also