Baby seals rescued from oil pollution at St Petersburg rehab centre

A rehabilitation centre in Saint Petersburg has been rescuing these baby seals, suffering from climate change and pollution.

Staff members at the centre have been fighting for the life of this little one in particular, after the newborn was brought to the centre covered in oil.

“There was a high probability that he would die from oil intoxication but he survived. Plus,when he got here he was either newborn or two or three days old. He’s emotionally very attached to people, which creates a big problem for us. We will have to work with him to detach him from people.”

Most of the animals get to the centre thanks to local residents walking along the shore, who often find them weak or wounded. Staff has been working on rehabilitating the seals since 2007 and have rescued and released more than 20 into the wild since then.

Difficult words: pollution (being dangerously dirty), newborn (young baby), intoxication (poisoning), wounded (injured).