Rare Ginger Seal May Have To Be Rescued After Being Shunned By Its ColonyVladimir Burkanov/Instagram
A rare ginger seal pup may have to be rehomed by biologists unless its colony accepts its unique look.
Advert
The golden pup was born less than a month ago on the island of Tyuleny in the sea of Okhotsk, Russia, where a large colony of seals reside. It was spotted by marine mammal biologist Vladimir Burkanov during a field trip to the island.
The young seal stands out against its dark-furred companions because it is partially albino, meaning it has golden fur, blue eyes and pink flippers.
See the seal with its colony here:
Advert
Experts say the chances of such a partial albino birth are one in 100,000, and while it is incredibly cute, the pup has been dubbed the ‘ugly duckling’ because it looks so different from the rest of the colony.
A few years ago, another ginger seal called Nafanya was rejected by its peers because it looked so different; now biologists fear the same could happen to the new seal pup.
Ginger seal pupVladimir Burkanov/Instagram
Burkanov says the fur seal has not become a total outcast yet, but that there are signs of it being slightly shunned, the Siberian Times reports.
He commented:
This pup looks well fed and was very active, so its mother clearly gave it plenty of milk.
Other seals don’t pay too much attention to it in a somewhat worrying manner, so something is not quite right with it. But it is not getting chased or bitten.
The ginger seal is thought to have poor eyesight, and based on his knowledge and experience of years of observing fur seals, Burkanov believes its chances of growing old and breeding are slim-to-none.
Ginger seal pupVladimir Burkanov/InstagramAdvert
Experts will now monitor the rookery to make sure they can rescue the young pup if it gets rejected. If that’s the case, the seal will likely be taken to a Russian dolphinarium like Nafanya, who was adopted to Sochi in the south of Russia.
There is some hope for the young pup, however, as Burkanov shared an image on Instagram of a partially-albino adult seal at the Severo-Zapadnoe rookery on Bering Island.
Alongside the picture, he wrote:
He did not participate in reproduction this season and was seen on the bachelor section of the rookery only.
Perhaps, this is the first documented case of the survival of a northern fur seal of an abnormal colour to adulthood.
Hopefully the ‘ugly duckling’ seal will be welcomed by its colony; its unique looks don’t make it any less of a seal!
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Link nguồn : https://www.unilad.co.uk/animals/rare-ginger-seal-may-have-to-be-rescued-after-being-shunned-by-its-colony
