Three-week-old baby seal found close to death with fishing net tangled in his stomach

An adorable three-week-old seal pup was found washed up on the Norfolk coast and nursed back to health at a local aquarium was found with a tangle of fishing net in its stomach.

Sleepy the seal, is now two-months-old and has made a lucky recovery after ingesting pieces of fishing net along the coast.

‘Sleepy’ weighed only 20lbs and was severely malnourished and dehydrated when he was found on new Year’s Eve.

After a week of observation at Sea Life Hunstanton, the animal care team found part of a fishing net inside Sleepy’s pen.

The tangle of netting, which could have sat in the baby seals stomach for about a week, is another reminder of the danger of man-made debris to our vulnerable sea life.

Sleepy, the seal pup today

Two weeks after the fishing net was found, Sleepy started feeding himself and now weighs a healthy 55lbs, after putting weight on.

He is currently in the ‘pup pool’ finishing his rehabilitation and will soon be ready to be released back into the sea.

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Written by

Samantha Day

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