Laytown in love with this little lady

Members of the public enjoying a stroll on Laytown Beach over the weekend were shocked to discover a young seal soaking up the sun on the shoreline.

Eight-month-old Common Seal 'Magnolia' was not phased by passersby however and even posed for several pictures as she relaxed on the sand.

Magnolia was rescued in August of last year by Seal Rescue Ireland where she underwent rehabilitation in their centre in Courtown and was later released back into the wild in Carlingford in December.

It is thought that rough sea conditions caused by Storm Jorge may have led the marine mammal to rest up on the beach. 

Local  photographer Brid O'Neill says she 'couldn't believe her eyes' when she saw the aquatic creature. 

‘I was on beach on Sunday March 2nd and two different people approached me and said there was baby seal over at the railway bridge at back of car park. I headed over and sure enough there she was soaking up the sun. 

"She was very relaxed and inquisitive and seemed used to people. If anything she was loving the attention! 
I sat beside her and she was happy for me to do that and she just chilled out while I ran off few shots.

"Quite a crowd had gathered by the time I left her but everyone coming up to see her was very respectful and kept their distance. None of us touched her and when you see the razor teeth when she yawns you definitely wouldn’t try! But she was friendly and totally relaxed with people coming and going."

Executive Director of  Seal Rescue Ireland Melaine Croce has they were 'delighted' to learn that the pup was 'healthy and happy.' 

Magnolia recovering in Seal Rescue Centre in Courtown after being rescued last year

“We were able to read the number on her flipper tag and through our database identified who it was. It's really great to get good news back that the seals are healthy and thriving in the wild.

“Based on the photos that we received her body condition was great, her behaviour was really good, she was in the shape of a banana with her head and tail in the air, we call that happy banana pose and it means she's feeling good, she's happy and she was just resting.

“That's completely normal behaviour for seals. It's a common misconception that when you see a seal 'beached' like a whale or a dolphin that they need to be pushed in the water and we really encourage people not to do that.

“Magnolia was rescued back in August when she was about two months old, she was underweight, dehydrated, she had a very swollen face. A typical reason seals are brought in is that they are not surviving the wild, they have an illness or they are orphaned too young.

Magnolia was rescued last August by Seal Rescue Ireland 

“She was put in ICU and stabilised then moved to the kennels where we closely monitor the seals and try to get them to gain weight, we administer medication, and they go through rehab.

“In the pools, they learn to compete against other seals learning the competitive behaviours they will need for surviving the wild. They compete for fish and develop swim muscles and fitness for the wild.

“Our theme this year was botanicals so all our seals brought in this year were named after different plants.

 

Eight-month-old seal Magnolia posed for pictures as she rested on Laytown Beach

Melaine urges the public to get in touch with Seal Rescue Ireland if they encounter the mammal on a beach. 

“The population of Common seals in Ireland is on the decline, there are only a few thousand in Ireland at the moment so they are a species of special concern so each individual seal that we are able to rescue and rehab it's really important to stabilise the population. 

“I believe that she went back in the water and who knows we might spot her again.

“ If anyone sees a seal that does need help we encourage to report it to our hotline.”

Seal Rescue Ireland Hotline 087 195 5393