CRETE: 10-day-old baby seal transferred to Athens for treatment (PHOTOS)

An orphaned baby seal just 10 days old was found in early November on a beach in Crete and traveled to Athens to be cared for by the Society for the Study and Protection of the Mediterranean Seal (MOM) until it is old enough to be released into its natural environment.

The Port Authorities, who located the seal with the help of local people, contacted the organisation to receive instructions on how to properly manage the incident so that the animal is safe.

The Society for the Study and Protection of the Mediterranean Seal - MOM was founded in 1988 and has been caring for orphaned or sick seals since 1990 up until today.

“This year, we have two little ones. Hermes was found in October at Pili in Evia and now in November Minos came to us from Crete, from Sitia," Eleni Tounda, a MOM biologist, said to AMNA.

"Both are babies, it's the time when they should normally be nursed by their mothers but they got carried away by the storms, they were also sick.

"We give medication in consultation with the veterinarian in charge and we hope that, after the three months we will have them here, we will release them again into their natural environment, as we do every time."

The seal, which was named Minoas as it was spotted in Sitia, is housed in specially designed areas and a pool where it is monitored by a veterinarian and cared for daily by MOM's specialised people.

Weighing, bathing, gradual transition from fish paste to training to learn to feed on fish and swim are in the daily schedule of the baby who keeps company with Hermes, also an orphaned seal spotted in October in Evia.

As Mrs. Tounda explains, "because the seals are at an age where they would nurse from their mother, we are now feeding them fish paste with essential vitamins, until they move on to the next stage, which will be giving them fish to eat. And after they reach around 60 kilograms and they have learned to eat fish, we release them."

Seals are wild mammals and when they approach beaches or harbours, it is extremely important for their own well-being and survival that people avoid contact with them.

Citizens, if they spot any seals, are advised to move away, not to seek contact and, of course, not to feed them. If they think the animal may be in trouble, they are advised to call Port Authority and MOM immediately.

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