A RARE ginger-furred seal pup was spotted alone on a Russian island after being shunned by its colony.

The rest of its sleek black family took an instant dislike to the pup's reddish-brown fur and pale blue eyes, leaving it to fend for itself.



Photographer Anatoly Strakhov spotted the seal, which is almost blind, hiding under a pile of logs on Tyuleniy Island.



Mr Strakhov, 61, said: "He was hiding and waiting for his mother to come and feed him.



"He had a very strange colour fur and looked different from his two black brothers.



"I was pleased to be able to capture such an unusual animal, but the poor seal is almost blind and so was unlikely to survive in the wild."



Mr Strakhov was with staff from a dolphinarium who took the seal pup into their care.

Read more at the Daily Mail

Originally published as Lonely seal pup shunned by his colony