This is the moment an adorable seal flip-flops back into the ocean after being treated by vets for an eye injury.
Medics who also provided nourishment for the creature gave it a special liquid solution amid fears the creature may have swallowed plastic and solid food could hurt it.
In the video, vets can be seen administering eye drops to the injured seal and three weeks after its rescue the animal was deemed fit enough to return to the ocean.
The clip shows the team releasing the seal on a beach and it uses its flippers to run back into the water.
The South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) was found and rescued by the Civil Defence officers in the coast of Dock Sud, in the eastern Argentina province of Buenos Aires.
The seal was reportedly dehydrated, malnourished and with an injury to its left eye so the Civil Defence took it to vets at the ‘Ecoparque’ in the city for it to be attended.
The Ecoparque vets said: “The first thing we did was to feed it and carry out the primary veterinary care to stabilise it.
The seal remained at the Ecoparque for five days before being taken to the Foundation Mundo Marino in San Clemente to finish the recovery process.
Hiram Toro, the coordinator of the veterinary team at Mundo Marino, said: “All seals of this species attended in the centre are first hydrated with water and then a liquid formula.
“This protocol is vital because we do not know if there is an obstruction, for example, with plastic, or gastric injuries which could worsen the animal’s health. Feeding it with solid food could be worse”.
In total, 23 South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) and fur seals have been released into the sea following treatment at Mundo Marino in 2019.
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Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
