Five orphan seals rescued by an animal sanctuary when they washed up on the coastline were released back into the wild on October 19.
The five pups, Magnum, Solero, Haribo and Twister and Cornetto, were taken in by a sea life sanctuary in June.
The common seals spent a few weeks being fed up and taught how to eat and fend for themselves.
Once the pups had grown to a certain size they were put in the sanctuary’s main seal pool to compete with the resident seals and learn survival techniques.
Members of the Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary rescue team released the seals on Snettisham Beach in Norfolk.
The team cover the whole of the Norfolk coastline, rescuing the seals that get washed up on the beaches.
Operations manager Nathan Barnett said: “When we hear of a washed-up seal we go down and see if we can spot the mother in the water.
“If the seal seems unwell or underweight or has breathing issues or wounds from dogs let off their leads on the beach, we take them into our hospital, feed them up and give them any medication or treatment they need.
“When they get to a certain weight we release them back in the wild, which could be anywhere between a week and a month after we take them in.”
The Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary has rescued 32 seals so far this year. Caring for the seals can cost the sanctuary around £5,000 per seal.
Magnum, who was separated from his mother when he was only a few days old, was the first seal found this summer.
Next was Solero, who was only eight kilos when she was found by a keen birdwatcher on Snettisham beach – and weighed 33 kilos on the day of her release.
Haribo, who had a mild infection when she was found, put on 25 kilos while she was being cared for – and is the largest of this year’s rescued seal pups.
Twister and Cornetto were both separated from their mothers, and found each other after hearing the other crying out. They were both around a week old when they were found.
