6.
In front of you is the room for preparation of food for animals, equipped with a fish freezer nearby. Here, thawed fish is processed as needed.
For newly arrived seal pups, a special fish mixture is prepared, as many have never tasted fish before and may not recognise it as food or be able to swallow it whole. The mixture contains fish, fish oil, beneficial bacteria, Rehydron (to restore salt balance) and enzymes (to break down fats). It is made rich and nutritious to resemble mother seal’s milk (containing about 40–50% fat). All ingredients are ground and blended until smooth, then fed to the pups through a tube.
During the first week, seals are fed 4–5 times a day with this fish mash. Later, they are given whole fish by hand using thick rubber gloves that protect against sharp teeth. As wild predators, seals may bite when stressed.
At this stage, the fish is gently placed into the seal’s mouth and throat to develop the swallowing reflex. Forced feeding usually doesn’t last long – most pups soon start eating on their own. Some skip this stage completely.
Finally, pups are given live fish (usually gobies) to learn hunting and feeding independently, as well as whole herrings to develop natural feeding and competitive behaviour.