NEED TO KNOW
A mail carrier in the U.K. found a seal pup lost in the front garden of a house near Gorleston, England, while doing his daily rounds
The seal pup was previously seen the day before in a car park nearby, but wildlife experts were unable to capture it
The seal pup, named “Cold Call,” was transported to the RSPCA’s East Winch Wildlife Center for rehabilitation
A mail carrier in the U.K. found a surprise package on a doorstep.
On Friday, Jan. 2, the postman discovered a lost seal pup sitting in the front garden of a house near Gorleston, England, while doing his daily rounds, according to a Facebook post from the Marine and Wildlife Rescue.
Before surprising the mail carrier, the seal pup had spent the morning of Jan. 1 in a car park on Riverside Road in Gorleston and was spotted trying to “get beneath one of the parked cars. The Marine and Wildlife Rescue team responded to these sightings, but could not find the baby animal when they arrived at the car park.
The rescue noted that it believes the seal pup may have “shuffled into an adjacent garden” from the car park. Indeed, when the mail carrier encountered the seal pup on Jan. 2, the animal was resting outside a home near the car park.
Marine and Wildlife Rescue was able to round up the seal from the doorstep on Jan. 2 after the mail carrier reported his sighting, and the wild animal was transferred to the RSPCA’s East Winch Wildlife Center for rehabilitation.
Marine and Wildlife Rescue/Facebook
Cold Call the seal pup
The rescue group shared photos of the seal pup — later named Cold Call, per The Telegraph — in its social media post. The images show the animal hiding under what appears to be a red van, the creature on the doorstep of a home, and the pup in a car on its way to the wildlife center.
The pup is likely around two weeks old and weighs about 26 pounds.
“There was not a chance the pup could be returned to a local beach,” Dan Goldsmith with Marine and Wildlife Rescue explained of the decision to rehabilitate the pup. “She was significantly underweight for her age, especially as she had started to moult the white coat.”
The Marine and Wildlife Rescue noted that it receives numerous calls about stranded seals washed ashore due to high tides and the current seal birthing season.
“Sadly, some seals were swept away from their mums in the high tides or some sustained wounds from being hit against rocks. Even now, displaced seal pups are still being rescued,” Evangelos Achilleos, the manager of the East Winch Wildlife Center, told The Telegraph.
Marine and Wildlife Rescue/Facebook
A seal pup under a car
“There have been some really curious places these seals have been found – but I have to say Cold Call is one of the more unusual, although we are caring for one seal called Anx who was found on the edge of a muddy field,” he added.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
According to Wildlife Trusts, “40% of the entire world population of Atlantic grey seals make their home around the coasts of Britain.” In Norfolk, England, seal pups are born from late October through January, according to the website.
Read the original article on People