Seal pups released after life-saving care

Five-month-old pups Skittles and Hopscotch were rescued after they were found on the Sussex coastline underweight

Two injured seal pups have been released back into the wild after eight weeks of life-saving care at an RSPCA wildlife centre.

Skittles and Hopscotch, both around five months old, were found underweight and suffering from injuries and parasites on the Sussex coastline.

The RSPCA said their condition was so serious they would not have survived without help.

Following weeks of round-the-clock care, including being fed fish soup then later whole mackerel and herring, the pups were released at Hastings seafront.

The pups were hand-fed four times a day by RSPCA staff at the rescue centre

The seals were initially rescued by British Divers Marine Life Rescue before being transferred to the RSPCA's Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre near Hastings.

Peter Smith, centre manager at Mallydams Wood, said: "Both seal pups required life-saving medical treatment to recover from the injuries to their flippers.

"They were also hand-fed four times a day to start by staff, until they learned to feed themselves.

"There was a point during their rehabilitation that we weren't sure if the pups would pull through, so their release was a particularly special moment for our team."