Scottish SPCA Bottle-Feeds Seal Pups With New Method

A tiny grey seal pup with no teeth changed everything when it started suckling on wildlife assistant Caitlin Ganley's hand during feeding time.

Ganley, who works at the Scottish SPCA's National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Alloa, grabbed a bottle and watched the premature pup drink its entire meal. That moment last year sparked a new feeding technique that's transforming how the charity cares for its most vulnerable rescues.

The centre now bottle-feeds orphaned and injured grey seal pups with a specially balanced seal milk formula. The method offers a more natural, less stressful experience than traditional feeding tubes inserted down their throats.

Three grey seals have already recovered and been released back to the ocean since the program began. The Scottish SPCA rescues about 90 grey seal pups each year between October and March, making it one of the busiest seal rehabilitation programs in the region.

Wildlife vet Joe Heaver said the team has spent two years testing different milk formulas and feeding techniques. Creating the right blend isn't easy because seal milk contains extremely high fat levels that no domestic animal can match.

The bottle-feeding approach mimics how seal mothers naturally nurse their pups in the wild. However, it takes more time per feeding, which means staff spend longer with each animal and could potentially cause more stress.

The Ripple Effect

The new technique comes at a critical time. Human interference is driving up seal rescue numbers as beach visitors disturb mothers with their pups, causing abandonment. Dog attacks and disturbances of pregnant seals are also increasing, leading to premature births.

Ganley said the key is finding seals at the right developmental stage. Grey seals might look adorable, but they can be defensive and aggressive once their teeth come in.

The team knows bottle-feeding won't work for every rescue. Some seals arrive too old, too stressed, or too defensive to accept a bottle. Those animals still receive tube feeding or a fish-based diet depending on their needs.

Heaver cautioned that it's still early to measure how effective the new method is compared to traditional approaches. The team continues monitoring the health and release success rates of bottle-fed seals versus those fed through other methods.

For now, each successful bottle feeding represents a small victory in giving Scotland's grey seal pups the gentlest possible start at their second chance in life.