Grey seal pups found near Lakhta Center and in Kryukov Canal get released into natural environment

On May 31, representatives of the Friends of the Baltic Ringed Seals Foundation and Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg released two grey seal pups into the natural environment of Zheltaya Bay in the Vyborgsky District of St. Petersburg.

Back in April, the Foundation received a message about an emaciated pup found in the vicinity of the Lakhta Center. The seal was taken to a rehabilitation center to recover and develop survival skills. The female pinniped was given the name of Lakhta, as pups are traditionally named after the places where they are found. The second of the released pups was a female seal named Kryukova, also found in April in St. Petersburg's Kryukov Canal. In the six weeks she had spent in the rehabilitation center, the animal received treatment and gained the required weight.

Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg has been supporting the Friends of the Baltic Ringed Seals Foundation since 2020. At the event, Vyacheslav Alexeev, head of the Foundation, thanked Georgy Fokin, head of the company, for assistance in initiating new projects to save endangered species: creation and installation of Russia's first system protecting pinnipeds from fishing gear; toxicological studies of dead specimens to assess the health of the pinniped population; aerial censuses of animals and ship observations of their habitats; and a large-scale public awareness campaign.

“The issue of preserving the diversity of species and ecosystems is more pressing than ever. I hope that our joint efforts will help increase the population of these endangered animals, leading both Baltic seals and grey seals to become part of St. Petersburg's natural landscape,” said Georgy Fokin.