An extremely rare seal pup has been recently spotted on the Tyuleny Island, Russia. The unusual animal was born with a ginger fur coat – a special condition that occurs one in 100,000 animals. Unfortunately, the unique coloring is rather a burden for the seal pup as it faces rejection from the rest of the colony.
Image credits Vladimir Burkanov
Even though it looks actually pretty cute, the ginger seal pup was nicknamed ‘The Ugly Duckling’ by the man who first spotted it – the marine biologist Vladimir Burkanov. The little one who’s around one-month old had blue eyes and a very unique ginger fur coat. That doesn’t make it vulnerable only in front of the predators, but it is also outcasted by the rest of the group.
Image credits Vladimir Burkanov
Even he may suffer of poor eyesight, the pup looks well fed so far. “This pup looks well fed and was very active, so its mother clearly gave it plenty of milk,” Dr. Burkanov said. “Other seals don’t pay too much attention to it in a somewhat worrying manner, so something is not quite right with it.”
Image credits Vladimir Burkanov
The rare seal pup is being close monitored by the biologists and in case it is facing a total rejection by the rest of the colony, they’re considering the option of rescuing it.
There is hope though as a similar looking seal pup has been discovered years ago on Bering Island. Initially rejected by the group, that one had eventually managed to survive and now it is around six-year-old. See the picture bellow:
