Rescued seal called Roar due to temper

The GSPCA said Roar was calling for his mother but she was nowhere to be seen

An "angry" seal has become the first pup of the season to be rescued in Guernsey with a charity calling him Roar due to this temperament.

A fisherman contacted the Guernsey Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) on Saturday after hearing the pup calling near the breakwater at Castle Cornet.

Experts said the grey seal pupping season was between October and January and often resulted in pups being stranded on beaches after they were separated from their mothers due to tidal surges and storms.

Geoff George, GSPCA head of marine mammals, cared for Roar throughout the night and said the four-week-old seal was very underweight.

The GSPCA said grey seals leave their pups after they are about a month old

"This is the first pup we’ve been called to help this season and we have named him Roar due to his angry nature," said Mr George.

“He is only 15kg (two stone), very dehydrated, thin, has a possible chest infection and full of worms at just four weeks of age so really should be three times the weight he is currently."

Steve Byrne, GSPCA manager, said: "At one-month-old Roar should be more like 40kg plus.

“He is very poorly and we are caring for him around the clock to stabilise him.”