Two puffins released back into wild in Fife after being found on beaches

The birds had been in the care of the Scottish SPCA after being found in two locations early in December.

They were successfully released near the Fife village on Decembe 28.

Christened Tony and Don by the charity, the two birds were brought in to the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre within hours of each other.

April Dodds, assistant manager, said “Don was found at around 9:00am on December 8 on a beach in Montrose. He had an injured leg and was sitting on the beach feeling very sorry for himself!

“Tony came in just a few hours later from a beach in Fife - a member of the public’s dog found him under a pile of seaweed, injured and soaked through from the rain.

“Both were very lucky to have been found.”She continued: “As puffins are sociable birds we decided to pair the two of them up so they could have some company during their rehabilitation.

“After a few weeks of medical treatment from our specialist veterinary team, plenty of rest and a good feed, they were ready to be released.”She said the birds quickly found their sea legs and swam off together.

Added April: “It’s always a fantastic feeling to watch animals return to the wild but none more so when the animals in question are vulnerable species like these puffins.

“We know how tenuous the wild population is so it’s important to do everything we can to rehabilitate and release any that come in to our care.”

Susan Davies, chief executive of the Scottish Seabird Centre said “We have a huge amount of respect for the work of the Scottish SPCA and were delighted our team could provide some advice to aid the safe release of these rehabilitated puffins.

“Many of our internationally important seabirds, including puffins, are in steep decline and so it was just great to see Don and Tony returning to sea.”

If anyone finds an animal in distress they should call the Scottish SPCA animal helpline on 03000 999 999.

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