The seal from Kent is getting better day by day
Palmier the seal was suffering on a beach in Kent, England, weak and underweight. RSPCA Mallydams Wood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center took him. They realized thanks to a tag on his flipper that he’d been in a rehabilitation center before when he was a very young pup. This meant that Palmier already knew the drill — but it didn’t mean he was happy about it.Read More.
“He knew the deal and was very feisty and grumpy with us.” Ash Peters, a wildlife assistant at the RSPCA Mallydams Wood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center told us.
The staff at the center made sure that Palmier was getting all of the food and medication he needed to get his weight up. They helped him to get strong enough to return to the wild again. Palmier was grateful for all the care. However, decided he bor felt bored of being in his enclosure. So, he came up with a fun new game that consisted of constantly trying to escape.
“He learned that if he bashed on the door to the pool enough, he could knock open the latch and escape into the corridor,” Peters said. “Eventually we had to tie the door closed to stop him.”
During one of his escape attempts, Palmier made his way into the corridor and discovered a big green bucket filled with animal-safe disinfectant. Curious, he plunged his head into the bucket — and emerged with a whole new look. When the staff discovered him there, they couldn’t stop laughing.
“We went out to give the seals their lunchtime feed, and found him there with his bubble mustache,” Peters said. “It was so funny to see, especially as he was normally so grumpy — he looked like a distinguished gentleman!”
“His release was delayed a little, so he was definitely ready to go,” Peters said. “He was pushing against the door of the kennel to get out and headed straight into the sea with no hesitation. It was a perfect result! Seals always give us a little look back — we like to think it’s them saying farewell!”
Now Palmier is back where he belongs. And, hopefully, for the sake of his grumpiness, he won’t have to return to a rehabilitation center anytime soon.
