The seal pup rehab project ran at Tara Seal Research (TSR) in Co. Down, N. Ireland from 1997 to 2016. Almost all the pups in this project (with the exception of Leo, who wasto ~3-4 weeks old) ) were rescued locally as stranded newborns. The project ran in parallel with the local aquarium ("Exploris") where stranded seal pups in N. Ireland were (and are) usually cared for. The aim of the rehab project was initially to try to increase the weight gain of the pups (harbour seal pups suckling from their mothers in the wild normally gain about 0.5 kg per day) by feeding a high protein/high fat diet to try to mimic the consituents of the mother's milk as far as possible. The milk formula used is used in many/most U.S. seal pup rescue centres, but is rarely used now in the UK/Ireland mainly because of the cost & trouble of importing it. The trials in the first few years proved to be relatively successful (see the research page on rehabilitation).
Since this project was unfunded, we did not attempt to care for more than two pups at a time, due cost limitations as well as space. However, during several years of caring for two pups (1997, 2000-2002, 2005, 2008), the benefits to the pups of being kept together with water access (paddling pool, bath) became evident - two pups immediately bonded together, followed each other into the water where they played together, and always slept together in the dry area of their pen. By 2013, home CCTV systems became readily and cheaply available, and for the next three years of rehab (2013, 2014, 2016) we were able to record the pups' behaviour over their entire time in rehab. This enabled us to describe the pup's behaviours in more detail and compare their behaviours with those of wild pups with their mothers. This research has shown that harbour seal pups kept in pairs with access to water appear to function as mother-substitutes to each other. This makes the pups happy and active and, we hope, developing as normally as possible in the circumstances.
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