Rare black seal pup taken into care

The female seal has no obvious signs of injury but was deydrated and on a very busy area of Eyemouth beach so was taken into care by the Scottish SPCA.

All of the Scottish SPCA seal pups are being given Harry Potter-themed names and this one has been named Narcissa.

National Wildlife Centre manager, Colin Seddon, said: “She is the first black female I can remember coming into our care.”

He explained: “We tend to get several black seal pups each year which are far less common than lighter grey colours. What is unusual is that she is female. Usually the darker the seal the more likely it is to be male.

“Narcissa is doing well, she is now off tube feeds and is being assist fed whole fish and we hope to release her back into the wild soon.

“Grey seal pups which no longer have a white coat may still need our assistance if they are on a public beach and at risk, or have visible signs of injury, such as bleeding, crusty or damaged eyes, discharge from the nose, coughing or generally looking unwell.

“The public should contact our animal helpline and an operator will be able to assist.

“If the seal pup is not at risk and looks and acts healthy it should be left alone.”