Heartbreaking image shows baby seal begging for milk moments before dying

21 April 2023 , 16:08

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The seal pup had been abandoned by its mother (Image: Simon Roberts/Solent News)

Just days old, this abandoned seal crawled towards the photographer for help minutes before being killed by a polar bear.

Simon Roberts said the pup didn’t stand a chance against its predator as its mother could not offer any protection as warming temperatures meant there was not enough deep snow to dig a shelter.

The retired surgeon, from Chapel Stile in Cumbria, captured these shots on Svalbard, a remote Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean halfway between Norway and the North Pole.

The 61-year-old said: “Newborn seals don’t have the insulation to swim in the icy sea, so need to hide in a cave in the ice for the first week or so of their lives.

The seal pup was killed by a bear minutes after these images were taken (Simon Roberts/Solent News)

“If they become exposed on the surface, like this one, there is nothing that mum can do to protect them from predation by gulls, bears and foxes - they have zero chance of survival.

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“If it couldn’t get cuter, this pup made a squeaking noise as it crawled towards me, begging for milk having been abandoned to its fate by its mother.

“Climate change has led to difficulty making the cave under the winter’s snow which is a problem for cute pups like this one, which was doomed and killed by a bear minutes after these photographs were taken.”

Nada Farhoud