The much beloved seal Selso, who had been receiving care at Ushaka Sea World, was released into his natural environment on Saturday.

A very sick and undernourished Selso was found stranded on a beach on the Lower South Coast in June last year.

When he was found the 22-month-old elephant seal only weighed 70kg. After some TLC he grew to a healthier 180kg. That is when Ushaka decided to ask for MSC Cruises’ help releasing him off the coast of Port Elizabeth.

Before his release he was fitted with a satellite tag which will allow scientists from Oceans and Coasts to monitor his whereabouts for up to a year.

According to his caregiver, Colette Bodenstaff, Selso was the ideal patient as he is naturally calm and non-aggressive. During this convalescence at Ushaka he had become desensitised to mechanical sounds and humans and spent the last month becoming accustomed to the transportation crate.

“At no stage did he show signs of stress but was very curious when he saw the sea for the first time. He always had a ferocious appetite and I expected him to slow down while he was in the crate but he calmly ate his way through 9kgs of fish each day,” said Bodenstaff.

When Selso was released he dived into the water and surfaced briefly before disappearing.

“Selso has won people’s hearts and hopefully helped to highlight the fact that, no matter where you live we are all connected to the web of life,” said Judy Mann, CEO of the South African Association for Marine Research (SAAMBR).