A GREY seal pup rehabilitated by the RSPCA after being orphaned during Storm Eleanor in January 2018 has been sighted again as an adult – nearly four years later.

Tolgus, named after a Cornish tin mine, was found on Constantine Bay during severe weather that swept across the country.

READ MORE: Joy as rescued seal pups are released back into the sea

The severely-exhausted pup, along with five other baby seals, had become separated from his mum when he was picked up by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) on January 11, 2018.

North Wales Pioneer: Tolgus was rehabiliated at a RSPCA site in Cheshire.

Local wildlife facilities were overwhelmed at the time with an unprecedented number of rescue seal pups, so Tolgus and the rest of the group made a 300-mile journey to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Nantwich, Cheshire.

They then went to Norfolk before eventually were released in Colwyn Bay and this week, 47 months after he was rescued in Cornwall, Tolgus was spotted on a beach in Llandudno by a member of a local seal volunteer group thanks to the identification tag on his flipper.

Lee Stewart, manager at Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, said he and his staff were delighted to get the update.

He said: “So much time and effort goes into rehabilitating seal pups.

"It takes many months and is very expensive.

"Releasing them back into the wild is a great feeling, but receiving news that our seal pups like Tolgus are doing well in the wild so many years later is fantastic.

"Knowing that we are releasing our animals back into the wild ‘fit for purpose’ means everything to the team here.

"Every seal pup that leaves an RSPCA centre has a Dalton Tag put on them, so those monitoring in the field can feed back sightings like this.”

At Stapeley Grange, seal pups are given a ‘rehydrate’ solution and then moved on to a fish soup within 24 hours which to start with, is fed five times a day.

Depending on their size and condition, the pups are then switched to a diet of whole fish as soon as possible. This initially involves force feeding them until they get the hang of it themselves.

If you have observed the seal for at least 24 hours and are concerned about it please contact the RSPCA for advice on 0300 1234 999.

If you are worried about a pup, or if the animal looks sick, injured or is on a busy public beach, stay at a safe distance and also contact the advice line or head to www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/orphanedanimals/sealpups