Two rescued seal pups rescued gave “one final farewell” to volunteers before swimming off into the North Sea.
The grey seals were found “severely underweight” in spots near Seaham and Cambois in January, with one of them “struggling to survive”, Blyth Wildlife Rescue said.
After being treated at a rescue facility, the seals named Minnie and Tweety were taken to Tyneside Aquarium for rehabilitation and released in March.
Senior aquarist Sophie Wilson described seeing them leave as “bittersweet”, with team members “wiping away tears” as the seals “took a final glance” before taking to the sea.