Three rescued seal pups have been released into the sea at Whitley Bay after they were discovered injured during the summer.
The common seals, estimated to be around one to two months old, were rescued by volunteers in July after being found severely underweight in South Shields and Hendon.
Barnabus, Tarquin and Ozzy have been in the care of the Tynemouth Seal Hospital for three months where they have treated their injuries, including gum infections.
They have been nursed back to health after being cared for by volunteers at the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
The trio were released back into the wild at St Mary's Lighthouse on Saturday, an occasion volunteer medic Mark Husmann described as "perfect".
He told ChronicleLive: "They had infections which can cause severe damage to the gums and palate. If left untreated they would have suffered a painful death. They were also underweight when they were brought into our care.
"They arrived around the same time and have been developing together. They were all sharing a pen and it was a perfect way to release them.
"The sun was shining, the tide was out and it is a great sense of achievement for us as volunteers to see them fully recover and go back into the wild."
The pups required round-the-clock care from a team of dedicated volunteers who took time to feed the animals three times a day while administering their medication twice daily.
Volunteers at the hospital are also expecting to release two further common seals next month when they have reached at least 25kg in weight.
Mark added: "We have an absolutely amazing team of dedicated volunteers here and have excellent support from our vets at St Clair Veterinary Care in Blyth.
"The welfare of the animals is the number one priority and we put a lot of hard work into caring for them. The survival rate amongst the animals we rescue is very positive and that's thanks to the fantastic work of the team.
"It's the best feeling to see months of effort has paid off."
