Appeal to fund Isle of Man seal pup rescue and rehabilitation

Crunchie spent seven weeks in rehabilitation after being found as a newborn

People are being asked to help fund the Manx Wildlife Trust's work to rescue and rehabilitate seal pups.

The young animals are often found in various locations around the island's coastline, stranded or in distress.

Those rescued included a seven-week-old pup called Crunchie, which was taken in as a newborn and released at Port Mooar in Maughold on Sunday.

Marine Conservation Officer with the charity Lara Howe said it was expensive work, but a very "worthy cause".

It costs around £4,000 a year to rescue and prepare seal pups for the wild

Ms Howe said seals were now coming to the end of "pupping season", which is traditionally a busy time of year for the those involved in the rehabilitation process.

She said: "What we really want to do is to build a purpose-built shed and pond for them... to upgrade the facilities that we have," she added.

Ann Breward volunteers as a carer for the seal pups

Ann Breward, who is a carer for the young seals, and said they generally "come in when they're very young".

She said: "We need to make sure they get the right nutrition, make sure they are healthy, often they need antibiotics for a little while."

"It's an awful lot of work but it's totally worth it when you see them go... it's very emotional," she added.

As Crunchie was so young when she came in, Ms Breward said the release would be "quite hard" for the pup, but she was confident the animal would "do great" in the wild.

"She's really fat and she's really healthy, so that's what I could do for her to help her and now I know she'll be OK, but I will miss her," she said.