Anybody wanting a close encounter with a wide-eyed young seal will have the opportunity in coming days. They can see four such creatures released back to the sea after being raised in a Co Donegal sanctuary.
All four were saved from death along the shores of the north-west and are only now strong enough to go back to sea after months of specialised care at the home of a Dungloe vet, Mr Frank Mulreany.
His front garden could be described as a seal health farm. The seals have no problem sharing it with three dogs, also taken in because they were unwanted and in a bad state. Seals and dogs laze about together and occasionally nuzzle and play.
Frank has set up a makeshift pool from a circular wall of rocks lined with a huge sheet of black plastic. The seals wander in and out of the pool. They push themselves along on the ground, flick into a banana shape and snooze contentedly. One has taken to following Frank wherever he goes.
Six-year-old Sally will not be released this time. She is a timid creature and Frank doesn't believe she could survive in the wild, but says if she ever reached a stage when she would be happier in the wild, he would free her.
Sally has been at the sanctuary since the first weeks of her life. Like the others, she was found ashore weak and emaciated. Now she is almost a pet. A picture shows her sitting upright on an old armchair, flipper resting on the arm as classical music plays. This was how Frank found her when he went indoors one day.
Until Sally was found, Frank knew nothing about seals, but his is now the only seal sanctuary outside Dublin, and he gets calls from all over the west coast. It is a labour of love, with no financial support. He says he will miss them terribly when they're released. "It was lovely having them even for a short period. It is always a privilege to deal with wild animals, especially when you gain their trust," he says.
Seals are a protected species, but culling goes on. Frank says countries which in the past introduced culling policies have had to admit subsequently that the culls did nothing to maintain fish stocks. Many seals around Ireland face starvation because huge fishing trawlers are depleting stocks, he says.
The release takes place today, to coincide with Earth Day. Two grey seals, Liath and Fionnuala, will be put into the sea at Moville in Co Donegal at 4 p.m., while Diarmuid and Torr, both common seals, will be released at Strand Hill in Sligo at 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Anybody who would like to support Frank Mulreany in his work can contact him on (075) 21377.