Spearmint has an addiction.
A very, very bad one — for a seal.
The wild pinniped has a habit of being too overly friendly to humans around Plymouth Sound in Devon, England.
To help the marine mammal kick her human habit, she’s been sent to rehab.
Spearmint was first seen in Cawsand Bay, Cornwall, almost seven months ago, and had become a mainstay around town, cozying up to tourists and swimmers, as well as hanging on to paddleboards. She was even known to scooch by a local outdoor pub.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) put the North Atlantic gray seal into a treatment program, where rescuers were “working around the clock to get her fit and healthy” enough to be released, they said in a statement.
After rehab, the organization hopes to release her into a remote area of Scotland — where she won’t be so tempted by people. The Rame Wildlife Rescue Network has also pitched in, raising more than $6,500 for the seal’s relocation.
The network noted that this is the second time the seal has been taken into rehab. Spearmint was first apprehended due to human disturbance.
Cawsand residents first constructed a barricade to keep the animal from galumphing onto the roads to keep her safe. But the efforts were in vain, as Spearmint kept on climbing into boats and eventually traveled across the road.
Jessica Collins is a volunteer at Cornwall Seal Group and marine medic at British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), and initiated the rescue. She stated that the seal is an endangered species and has become “habituated to humans.”
“Although at a young age she needed to be rehabilitated, her interest in humans grew once released as she was fed regularly by tourists,” Collins said. “After multiple relocations she found Cawsand Bay, where we were able to control the situation better and keep people away.”
Spearmint was finally caught at Firestone Bay, Plymouth, by the BDMLR on April 7 and was brought to her rehab center at the RSPCA West Hatch Animal Center in Somerset, UK.
The BDMLR hopes to put the creature back into wild; however, after finding her in Plymouth, her lust for humans grew and it became more difficult to catch her.
“This poor seal is an example of what happens when humans feed and habituate a wild animal. The animal is the one who suffers,” Collins explained.
A BDMLR rep said in a separate statement that the seal’s behavior “had sadly been affected by people feeding her in the wild, resulting in her becoming overfriendly.”
The RSPCA plans to reintegrate Spearmint into wildlife society or send her to spend the rest of her life in captivity at a seal sanctuary.
“The key message throughout has been to give seals space and to not feed them, and we hope this carries through beyond Spearmint’s story and prevent this from happening again to another seal,” the BDMLR said.
