A seal pup who managed to find his way to Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire has been released back to the wild after three months in RSPCA care.
A family out walking their dogs on Boxing Day came across the young grey seal. They waited with the seal, who has been named Zodiac, until an RSPCA rescuer could get there.
RSPCA inspector Kate Burris said: “Every day is different in this job but it was definitely unusual to be called about a seal pup at Tattershall Castle. We think he must have come down the weir and climbed up the bank before the family came across him as he tried to clamber into a small dyke. The people who spotted him and called us couldn’t believe what they were seeing.” 
Zodiac was taken to a vet practice overnight before being transferred to specialist facilities at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk the next day (Friday 27 December) and staff have been caring for him there ever since.
Alison Charles, East Winch Wildlife Centre Manager, said: “Zodiac was about three weeks old when he arrived at East Winch. He was very underweight at just 14kg which was a long way short of the 40kg he needed to be to be healthy enough for us to release him.
“He was very feisty from day one – which is always a good sign for a wild animal. It’s taken us a little longer to get to this point then we thought it might but it’s fantastic to be able to get him back to where he belongs.”
Zodiac was released on Monday 30 March. It was hoped that the family who found him would be able to join RSPCA staff for the release, but this wasn’t possible because of the lockdown.
Michael Poole, Charlotte Poole, Edie Dunworth, aged 13 and Tilly Poole, aged five have been on standby for the past six weeks waiting for the news that he was up to the right weight and ready to go.
Michael said: “We’re so happy that he’s recovered and been able to be released back to the wild. It’s a real shame we didn’t get to see it happen – it would have been a once in a lifetime experience.
“Finding him is not something we’ll ever forget, and the whole things has been a real learning experience for the girls. Every time we go on a walk, Tilly is looking out for wildlife. Edie wants to be a vet but maybe she’ll think about working for the RSPCA after this.
“We were really struck by how amazing Kate was and despite saying how nasty seal bites can be, she was straight in there to rescue him. My wife and I both said how brave and quite brilliant she was. Such a nice person too. The RSPCA has offered for us to come and visit the centre when all this is over instead, which we’re all looking forward to doing.”
Do not attempt to capture or handle and injured seal. It’s important the public never approach seals and keep any dogs well away and, on a lead,, as these are wild animals and can have a nasty bite.
For more information on what to do if you see a seal or pup in need of help, visit the RSPCA’s website here.
