A young seal pup discovered washed up on the beach four months ago has been successfully returned to the wild.
The pup was rescued by divers in Sandwich Bay in Kent, and was the youngest ever taken in by the RSPCA in Mallydams, East Sussex.
He weighed 8.7kg when he was brought in to the centre and had to be fed through the night for the first week.
He would have been unable to survive in the wild without sufficient fat reserves.
Wildlife rehabilitation team manager Richard Thompson said: "This pup was the youngest we have ever taken in to the centre.
"He was so young his umbilical cord was still attached and he still had his white, downy lanugo coat which is normally lost before birth. Because he still had these we knew he must've been born prematurely.
"After a month with us he still only weighed just over 11kg. But once he was up to weight and full strength he was put in one of our outdoor seal pools where he could build up his strength and fitness."
After four months the pup weighed 31kg, which is normal weight, and he was released back into the wild.
