Seal Rescue Ireland has shared videos from its latest releases of seals nursed back to health at the Courtown marine wildlife sanctuary.
Honeysuckle and Clover’s return to the wild last Thursday (9 April) follows the release of Edelweiss and Hibiscus two days previously.
Both releases were done away from the public by special arrangement with the local authority under the current movement restrictions against Covid-19.
But the vital rehabilitation work of Seal Rescue Ireland and other such charities continues, while adhering to Government guidelines — and public support for their efforts is welcome now more than ever.
Another recent successful release was that of Cloudberry, the little Arctic seal pup who won the hearts of her carers after she was recovered from the Kerry coast ahead of Storm Brendan in January.
Over 10 weeks in the care of Seal Rescue Ireland staff, Cloudberry was nursed to full health and her ideal weight.
But the challenge was where and how to release her, as growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic in mid March ruled out original plans to fly her to Iceland or Scandinavia.
And what’s more, there were fears that if she were to remain in captivity much longer, she might become too dependent on humans and never be able to return to the wild.
So a compromise was reached and, acting fast, the team spirited Cloudberry to the far north of Ireland at Malin Head in Donegal, from where it's hoped she will have the best chance of meeting others of her species.
Seal Rescue Ireland has more on the story HERE.
