Hospital plea for stranded seal pups

Attempts to set up a hospital to support seal pups suffering from mouth rot have been "blocked at every turn", according to an environmental group.

Tara Seal Research, which last year reported the deaths of all 21 young seals it was monitoring, applied for funding from Northumbrian Water to set up a dedicated facility for the animals in Hartlepool.

The water company offered feedback on Tara's application but rejected it on the grounds another organisation was already carrying out rehabilitation work in the area.

But the planned Teesmouth Seal Rescue and Conservation Centre (TSRCC) in Redcar, announced two years ago, is still not operational and the group behind it has not said when it will be.

Warning: This article contains an image of a seal which has died from mouth rot

The Tara group requires roughly £10,000 to set up a temporary seal hospital and provide rehabilitative care for pups this summer.

Dr Sue Wilson, from the team, said environmental and wildlife groups in Teesside need to come together quickly as pup strandings are expected in the next "two to three weeks".

She said: "From experience of the past few years we anticipate Tees estuary harbour seal pups, severely undersized and with mouth rot, to start stranding along the coast from late July.

"This year, as in previous years, there is no Teesside hospital facility to look after them while they receive specialist vet treatment."

Tara attempted to find out if the TSRCC hospital would be opening in time for summer but did not receive a response and was therefore unable to make a successful case to Northumbrian Water for funding.

In feedback to Tara, which has been seen by the BBC, the water company said a reason for rejecting the bid was TSRCC had arrangements in place for seal rehabilitation this summer.

Teesside Environmental Trust, a charity which funds green projects, said it was investing £3m into a Teesmouth seal hospital.

The BBC has asked when the facility will be opening but the trust has yet to respond.

Wilson said: "We have spent a year trying to arrange a temporary seal pup hospital to fill this Teesside void, but have been blocked at every turn by people and organisations who profess to care about seal pup conservation and welfare."

Northumbrian Water said it faced many difficult decisions when deciding which projects to fund this year.

Redcar MP Anna Turley called on environmental groups in the area to "come together" to find a solution so seals can access specialist care and rehabilitation this summer.

She said she was "deeply saddened" by the pup deaths last year and was disappointed to hear a dedicated facility will not be in place this summer.

Fellow Labour MP for Hartlepool Jonathan Brash encouraged a temporary facility to be prepared to protect the seals this summer.

Dr Simon Gibbon, a member of the North East Marine Research Group, said he was "amazed and very disappointed" that none of the various organisations across the Tees were willing to work with Tara and help fund a temporary hospital.

He said: "The ongoing deaths of harbour seal pups documented in 2024 and 2023 indicate that the whole ecosystem has problems, as seals are the top predator.

"These stranded seals often have to be put to sleep to end their suffering as there is nowhere to rehabilitate them, therefore, provision of local rehabilitation facilities is of utmost importance."

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