Thrown in at the deep end: Three seal pups survive being washed 350 miles from home on 'incredible journey'

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE

Back in Northumberland: One of three newborn grey seal pups who went missing from their home on the Farne Islands only to be discovered hundreds of miles away on the coast of Holland


At the tender age of three weeks old, most seal pups are frolicking on the beach or taking their first tentative dips in the sea.

But these adorable looking youngsters are made of tougher stuff.

In an epic journey that has astonished widlife experts, three newborn grey seal pups went missing from their home on the Farne Islands, Northumbria - only to be discovered hundreds of miles away on the coast of Holland.

The pups are thought to have been swept out to sea on strong tides and forced to make the perilous crossing during some of the worst weather of the year.

The first of the 'Farne Island three' was found on a Dutch beach on the island of Texel on 13 December aged less than three weeks old.

After it was discovered by a member of the public, apparently abandoned and alone, it was taken to a seal rescue centre in Holland.

Pups two and three were found on the 6 and 7 January and were taken to the same centre.

All of the seal pups are recovering well and will be released back into the wild once they have put on enough weight.


Strong swimmer: The pups are thought to have been swept out to sea on strong tides and forced to make the perilous crossing during some of the worst weather of the year


David Steel, National Trust Head Warden for the Farne Islands, said: 'This is a remarkable tale of determination and survival in the turbulent waters of the North Sea. For three young grey seal pups to make it through such an ordeal is amazing.'


Further afield: Seal pups have been discovered along the Northumberland coastline, but never this far away


More than 1,300 pups are born each year on the Farne Islands. Although grey seal pups can swim at an early age they rarely leave the breeding colony until they have weaned and lost their fluffy white coats.

They were spotted by their tell-tale splotches of dye.

The Farne Islands is the only place in Britain to use coloured dye to tag the newly born seals.

Colours are rotated during every colony count; two of the seals had blue dye putting their birth around 30 November, and the third pup had yellow dye, putting its birth date at around mid-November.

Late November and early December saw easterly winds and stormy seas around the Farne Islands which would have played a part in sweeping the seal pups far out into the sea.

Home to one of the largest grey seal colonies in England the Islands are also famous for its hundred thousand seabirds including puffins.


Mr Steel added: 'The two pups with the blue dye would have still been dependent on their parents and the third pup would have only just gained its independence when they began their mammoth journey.

'Young pups have been discovered along the Northumberland coastline but this a real rarity.'

Tagging and survey work on grey seals has been taking place on the Farne Islands since the early 1950s - the longest running study of grey seals in the world - and the place where seal tagging was pioneered.

The survival rate of grey seals in the seas around the Islands is low and more than 45 per cent of pups do not last the winter.

Previous records suggest that older seals from the Islands have made it as far as Norway and the Faroe Islands.

Dr Bernie McConnell from the Sea Mammal Research Centre at the University of St Andrews, said: 'From our own survey work it appears that grey seal pups spend a significant part of their first year exploring - often to places hundreds of miles away.'

source: dailymail