A seal thought to have been injured in a dog attack on a Northumberland beach earlier this year is now "demolishing plenty of herring" after putting on 10kg and having flipper surgery at a vets in Morpeth.
Kiwi was picked up dehydrated and underweight by Blyth Wildlife Rescue on Cambois Beach in on January 12. When he was brought back to the charity's centre, he had a low temperature, bloody gums, and several puncture wounds to his rear flipper, as well as a fractured digit.
After a period of getting him back up to a healthy weight (he has gained 10.2 kilos in a month and now weighs in at 27.6kg), he was taken to have the fractured digit removed at Vets4Pets in Morpeth on Saturday afternoon (February 11). Kiwi was put under anaesthetic which can be challenging for seals due to their unique adaptations for life underwater.
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However, the surgery was a success and the blubbery beast is on the road to being re-introduced to the wild Northumberland coastline. In fact, he has already had his bandages removed, though the team at Blyth Wildlife Rescue are still taking care of his wounds before he is moved on to a rehabilitation centre, most likely in about ten days time.
Callum Brown, a volunteer at Blyth Wildlife Rescue, said: "He seems to have taken the whole thing in his stride, yesterday he was lying under the heat lamp, just not bothered by the situation. He'll continue to recover with us and take antibiotics before he goes on to a rehab centre."
Kiwi is the fourth seal picked up by Blyth Wildlife Rescue in recent months. A pup named Guava, who was picked up on Holy Island, had "gruelling" surgery to remove a ruptured eye.
Another pup named Eggplant was also picked up in December, and has recently moved on to Tynemouth Seal Hospital ahead of being released back into the wild. He has doubled his weight thanks to an "unlimited fish supply" at Tynemouth Aquarium.
And on Sunday February 12, Mango was brought in after being found severely dehydrated and underweight on a beach. He has no obvious injuries, so volunteers will be getting him up to weight and monitoring him before he's released back into the wild.
Callum continued: "We're getting lots of grey seals in at the moment because this is the time of year they're born, so we're quite busy with them. We're just really appreciative of all the support from the public because surgery is obviously quite expensive and it wouldn't be possible without their help, so yeah, we're very appreciative of all donations!"
Dr Dimitra Tsomidou, a veterinary surgeon at Vets4Pets Morpeth, who specialises in soft tissue surgery, said: "This is the second time we’ve worked with Blyth Wildlife Rescue to treat local seals they have rescued. Earlier this year, we performed emergency surgery on a pup named Guava who suffered from a ruptured eye. The surgery was a success, and when we heard about Kiwi, we were more than happy to help out.
"Although Kiwi isn’t our typical patient, the principles of the surgery were very similar to that of a domestic animal. Kiwi is already making great progress in his recovery and is adapting to life with one less digit in his flipper wonderfully.
"It’s a fantastic feeling to have been able to help the team once again, and I’m so grateful to my colleagues who donated their time over the weekend to help Kiwi."
Blyth Wildlife Rescue have also released a whooper swan back into the wild at Druridge Bay this year after it was found hypothermic in November, and admitted their first baby bird of the season on Friday night - a feral pigeon which is currently being hand reared by a volunteer. For more information on Blyth Wildlife Rescue, visit their Facebook page.
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