Little '˜Carey' is on the mend at seal refuge

The two month old seal pup - which has been named Carey after the river by Exploris staff - was spotted last Saturday on the stretch of beach near the benches.

The woman who saw Carey contacted Exploris who asked a ranger from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to make an initial assessment of the seal’s condition.

Aquarist Judith Caldwell told the Times: “When the ranger went to make the initial assessment, she did quickly go back into the water as you would expect from a seal if there were a lot of people around.

“However she quickly hauled out of the water which is a sure sign that a seal is not well.”

Judith paid tribute to the members of the public who raised the alarm about the seal and particularly to the lady who stayed on the beach with Carey until the NIEA ranger arrived.

“That was when she came to Exploris. She had a nasty respiratory infection and was under weight for her age which we are estimating is around 6 - 8 weeks but she is responding well 
now to antibiotics.”