Two grey seal pups receiving care at Helsinki wildlife hospital

Two grey seal pups are currently undergoing treatment at the Korkeasaari Wildlife Hospital in Helsinki, the only facility in Finland specialising in the rehabilitation of seal pups, Yle reports.

The hospital has received multiple reports of stranded pups this spring, with calls coming from Helsinki, Hanko, Kotka, and Kalajoki. One pup, found injured on an ice floe near Porkkala in mid-March, arrived with deep neck wounds that have since healed. The animal was recently moved to a larger pool.

A second, severely underweight pup was transported by train from Kokkola last week after being rescued by local emergency services and an animal welfare group. The pup, weighing just 8.5 kg, is receiving fish purée via tube feeding and has begun eating solid fish, though its survival remains uncertain.

Grey seal pups in the Baltic Sea are typically born on ice between February and March, nursing for three weeks before transitioning to independent life. The hospital’s rehabilitation process begins in small enclosures with shallow pools and heat lamps, progressing to larger tanks where pups practice hunting live fish. The final stage takes place in an outdoor seawater pool, with the goal of releasing them at around 30 kg to protected seal areas.

Authorities advise the public to observe stranded pups from a safe distance, noting whether they move, enter the water, or show signs of injury. Thin pups may avoid water due to insufficient blubber, and some may become disoriented on land. Direct contact should be avoided, as even young seals will bite in self-defence.