STAFF at a North Yorkshire aquarium have waved farewell to five seal pups, which have been released back into the wild.

The pups had been cared for by Sea Life Scarborough since July.

The four common seal pups – Baron, Jane, Marjorie and Margaret - and a grey seal pup - Habanero - were all rescued over the summer for a range of different issues, most commonly abscesses in their mouths which affect their ability to eat.

The animal care team at Sea Life worked hard to treat these issues in the dedicated seal rescue hospital before rehabilitating the pups in the main seal pool prior to their release.

With the help of the RSPCA and their boats, the little ones were returned to a local colony where they can continue feeding up ahead of the colder months.

Senior aquarist Todd German, who coordinated the release, said: "This is the best outcome we could have hoped for. Some of these pups weren’t looking too good when we rescued them so it’s a huge success that we’ve managed to return them all to the wild.

"Particularly for the common seal pups, which were only a few weeks old when they arrived, it has been very encouraging seeing them gain weight and grow into the chunky little guys we released today."

Sea Life Scarborough has been rescuing and releasing seal pups for more than 20 years, and cares for in excess of 30 pups on average every year.

The common seal breeds in summer and the grey seal in winter so the team is kept busy almost all year round.

As we move into the winter months and the grey seal pupping season, Todd said people need to keep their distance around wild seals on the beach. He explained: "We’ve seen a high level of disturbance in Ravenscar this summer, which is a growing colony. Whilst it’s great that people are getting out into nature and visiting the wildlife in this area, it is important that we respect the animals. Keeping our distance is the most important thing to remember.

"Seals don’t know we’re not a predator and we can easily frighten them if we get too close. With a good set of binoculars you get just as good a view, and the animals won’t be scared off into the sea."