A seal pup that was found by a postman lying by itself outside a front door has been released back into the wild.
The baby grey seal, which was christened 'Cold Call', was discovered on January 2 by postman Glen Palmer on the doorstep of a house in Gorleston, Norfolk.
The pup, estimated to have been only weeks old, was spotted the previous day in a car park as it attempted to shield itself underneath a car.
After five months in care, Cold Call was released back into the sea at a north Norfolk beach, accompanied by seven other seals.
Mr Palmer, who was 'gutted' to miss the release, described having a 'feeling of pride of being part of her journey' after finding the pup on his doorstep.
The pup grew and recovered in the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre, which it was taken to in January by Dan Goldsmith of Marine and Wildlife Rescue.
Mr Goldsmith described Cold Call as 'bright and alert', however there 'was not a chance' it could be returned to the beach due to its condition, weighing 11.8kg.
He said at the time: 'She was significantly underweight for her age, especially as she had started to moult the white coat.'
The baby grey seal, which was christened 'Cold Call', was discovered on January 2 by postman Glen Palmer on the doorstep of a house in Gorleston, Norfolk.
After five months in care, Cold Call was released back into the sea at a north Norfolk beach, accompanied by seven other seals
The pup, estimated to be have been only weeks old, was spotted the previous day in a car park as it attempted to shield itself underneath a car
Cold Call reached a healthy weight of 42kg and was deemed fit enough to return to the sea.
Severe storms in November caused many seal pups to be separated from their mothers, as Cold Call joined 30 other baby grey seal pups being cared for at the centre.
Mr Goldsmith, who attended the release, said watching the pup re-enter the wild was 'wonderful'.
He added: 'Rescue work is incredibly hard but it's moments like these that are so rewarding.'
Evangelos Achilleos, centre manager at RSPCA East Winch, said Cold Call's discovery in the 'unusual location' 'stunned' everyone.
He added: 'Nothing ever beats that feeling of being able to release an animal back to the wild - where they belong...
'Seals require a huge amount of care while at the centre and one of the biggest challenges is getting them to eat by themselves unaided.
'The road to recovery is always long and Cold Call has been with us five months.'
The seal's ordeal follows numerous seal rescues, including a pup making an unexpected surprise in January after it escaped the perils of Storm Chandra by galumphing into a garden in Cornwall.
The residents of the home at St Loy, near St Buryan, Cornwall, were left shocked after they found the seal huddled near the coop of some perplexed chickens.
The seal, believed to be around five to six months old, escaped the choppy seas, crossed the beach, tackled the coastal path and squeezed under the gate to get into the garden.
Perhaps to the pup's annoyance, medics from charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue South West England relocated the seal from its scenic view to a different, safer beach for its release back into the sea.