30 Cows Come to the Rescue to Help Orphaned Seal Return Home

An orphaned seal pup named "Celebration" was only a few days old when her mother was separated from her in July. Her discovery on land was not made by humans, which makes for an unexpected and interesting occurrence.

She was found by a herd of 30 cows who had gathered to watch the unexpected visitor. Celebration got stuck in the mud in the Frampton Marsh nature reserve in the United Kingdom.

While bird-watching, Ian Ellis noticed a strange group of cows and used his telescope to get a better look. He was surprised to see an orphaned seal pup among the curious cows.

Rescuers arrived on the scene immediately and took the small seal pup in for treatment when it became clear that her mother was nowhere to be found. She was underweight, dehydrated, and had unfortunately developed a lung infection.

Celebration and Charlie

Celebration was raised and given temporary care for her illness at Skegness Natureland Seal Sanctuary. However, the seal pup did not seem to feel at ease in the animal sanctuary.

Charlie, a seal who arrived at the same time as her, had a friendly connection with Celebration.

Since then, the focus of Celebration has been on the one responsibility a newborn seal pup has, which was eating as much as possible.

As soon as Celebration and Charlie were able to recuperate and gain weight, Natureland decided to return the two orphan seal pups to the ocean, their natural habitat. The sanctuary, together with Ellis, whom she had not seen since she was a puppy, returned Celebration and Charlie to the ocean.

As soon as the doors to their cages were opened, Celebration and Charlie started to waddle back to the ocean, as the waves took the two pups in.

A picture taken soon after Celebration's release shows her gazing out at the water as she gets ready to jump in, finally back where she belongs.

Skegness Natureland Seal Sanctuary

The Skegness Natureland Seal Sanctuary is committed to caring for seals and reintroducing them to their natural environment. Since its debut, Natureland has dealt with a variety of unusual animal visitors, including dolphins and whales, a "lost" walrus and pelican, as well as numerous oiled seabirds and injured birds of prey, and has returned them to the wild whenever possible.

Every year, especially during the breeding season, seal pups that have been abandoned or cut off from their mothers by the tides wash up on the beaches near Skegness. The fortunate ones are taken to Natureland's Seal Hospital, where caring staff members tend to them.

The pup suckles differently than other animals, and they cannot be taught to suck from a bottle, so getting the pup to eat is the real challenge. With a little help for a week or two they can swallow a few whole fish, known as sprats, which are about 3 inches long. Their mouths initially need to be manually opened, but they quickly pick up on it and line up for their twice-daily feeds.

The animals are given vitamins and other medications to help them stay healthy, just by slipping each pill inside a tiny fish. If everything goes as planned, the pups are transferred to the Rearing Pool where they learn how to eat fish while swimming and put on the weight they need to survive in the wild. The pup is brought back to the sea a few months later when it is strong, chubby, and healthy.